ST. LOUIS—President Emeritus of the Missouri Botanical Gardens, Dr. Peter H. Raven, and his wife, Dr. Pat Raven, enjoyed their evening at the St. Louis Peabody Opera House on Feb. 19. They saw Shen Yun Performing Arts, the New York-based company that is touring the world on a mission to revive the lost 5,000-year-old divinely inspired traditional Chinese culture.
Dr. Pat Raven said of the performance: “We thoroughly enjoyed it. She said her husband felt a personal tie to the performance.
“My husband was born in Shanghai, so being connected to China it made it very important for us and enjoyable.”
Dr. Peter Raven agreed with his wife, saying: “Yes, beautiful dancing and beautiful scenery, and wonderful. Brings to mind so many beautiful things about Chinese culture.”
Dr. Peter Raven is one of the world’s leading botanists and advocates of conservation and biodiversity. He headed the Missouri Botanical Garden for four decades. He nurtured the institution into a world-class center for botanical research, education and horticultural display.
Described by Time magazine as a “Hero for the Planet,” Dr. Raven champions research around the world to preserve endangered plants and is a leading advocate for conservation and a sustainable environment, according to the Missouri Botanical Garden website. He has been honored with multitude awards in the United States and abroad for his work in conservation and biodiversity.
Dr. Pat Raven also has impressive credentials, with a doctorate in landscape horticulture from Ohio State University, and a 30-year career in public gardens.
She said they came because a friend invited them to the Shen Yun Touring Company performance. “A friend that went to China with us last year found out about it and she invited us to come.”
Dr. Peter Raven added: “It’s really marvelous; it really brings home the beauty of the whole thing. Their combined orchestra was very good too, and the Chinese and Western instruments.”
Shen Yun’s unique orchestra blends East and West like no other. The distinctly Chinese sound of ancient instruments are bathed in a rich sea of Western strings, percussion, woodwinds, and brass. The result—two great classical music traditions producing one fresh, unexpected sound, according to the Shen Yun website.
“I’ve been to China 27 times and I have never seen a show like this,” said Dr. Pat Raven.
She described as “extraordinary” the elaborate hand-made costumes that span China’s dynasties, regions, and ethnic groups.
“Enough of the culture authenticity to show the cultural flavor of the different ethnic groups … (and enough theatricality) make it spectacular,” she said.
Reporting by NTD Television
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. Shen Yun Performing Arts Touring Company will next perform in Denver on Feb. 22 and 23 at The Buell Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex.
For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.
