LOS ANGELES—Shen Yun finished its sold-out Southern California season at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles, Saturday, Jan. 14, to acclaim.
Amongst the Hollywood establishment were entertainment executives Ramy Katrib, CEO and Founder of Digital Film Tree, and his wife, Jaspreet Dhillon, the animation producer for the Simpsons.
Both were inspired by Shen Yun.
“It was great,” Mr. Katrib said.
“It’s gorgeous, stunning, very well done,” said Ms. Dhillon.
Mr. Katrib is a legend in Hollywood production circles, developing a film editing application that is much sought after. Mr. Katrib and Digital Film Tree recently worked with the crew from Scrubs, the popular television series screened on NBC, helping the Scrubs team to simplify their production process using the technology.
In keeping with his technological background Mr. Katrib noted the company’s application of digital technology to enhance the Shen Yun performances.
“The background projection was cool,” he said.
“The visual and the lighting was also very pleasant to look at,” he added.
It was, however, the deeper themes running through Shen Yun that particularly interested Mr. Katrib.
“It was really surprising ... the show is more on substance, in terms of the ideas and culture,” he said, “the theme of good vs. evil, also history going 5000 years back in time.”
A New York based company Shen Yun was formed by a number of overseas Chinese artists who were committed to “reviving 5000 years of China’s divinely inspired culture,” according to the Shen Yun website.
Mr. Katrib commented on the cultural mix in the show noting that there was a “sprinkling of culture, Chinese dance and music from all across China, including Taiwanese.”
Chinese classical dance is at the core of Shen Yun’s performances, says the Shen Yun website, “with China’s numerous ethnic and folk dance styles rounding out the evening.”
Jaspreet Dhillon, Mr. Katrib’s wife and a Hollywood celebrity in her own right, agreed with her husband’s observations of the depth in Shen Yun saying the company “definitely had a lot to say.”
That appealed to Ms. Dhillon, and she declared that she had “become a fan of the production.”
Shen Yun had moved her on a very personal level, she explained.
“I want to explore where all of it comes from, what it means, the history. [Shen Yun] makes me reconnect the history where I’m from, what happened way back. All of it.” she said searching for words and concluding, “It was great.”
Reporting by Yaning Liu and Ben Bendig.
Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company will next perform in San Diego Jan 19-22.
For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3WTKCEA4tE[/video]
