WASHINGTON—Shen Yun Performing Arts displayed the breadth and variety of China’s traditional culture at The Kennedy Center Opera House in Washington, D.C.
Mike Pool, a deputy director in the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, and his wife, Nancy, who works as a nurse, attended Shen Yun’s performance on Thursday evening, March 22.
“There’s so much passion and so much beauty, and [the performers] tell stories with such grace,” Mr. Pool said, referring to the dancers’ portrayal of legends from ancient China. According to Shen Yun’s website, it seeks to revive the divinely inspired Chinese culture through the arts and dance, featuring performances that draw upon historical accounts and legend.
Mrs. Pool noted that Shen Yun brought out the spirituality of China. “It is [able to] reflect a lot about ... the spirituality of the entire country,” she said.
“I was really impressed with The Choice. That was very powerful as far as what [China] is going through,” she added, referring to a dance that depicts the persecution of the spiritual discipline, Falun Gong, inside China today.
‘It’s almost hard to believe’
Tom Ingledue, program manager of construction projects at the Bethesda, Maryland-based National Institutes of Health, attended Thursday’s performance and called it “wonderful.”
“It was very good. We really enjoyed it a lot,” he said.
His wife, Joan, a nurse, was there with him. “It’s amazing. It’s almost hard to believe,” Mrs. Ingledue said, noting that the show’s digitally imposed backdrop was something to marvel over. “It was just spectacular,” she said.
The digital backdrop is full of color, has motion, and portrays a wide range of scenery from ancient China to present-day, according to Shen Yun’s website. They include serene mountaintops, pastoral landscapes, and others.
“It was beautiful. All the costumes are gorgeous,” Mrs. Ingledue added.
Reporting by Yang Chen and Jack Phillips.
Shen Yun Performing Arts, based in New York, tours the world on a mission to revive traditional Chinese culture. Shen Yun Performing Arts Touring Company will perform at The Kennedy Center Opera House, Washington, D.C., through April 1.
For more information visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
