SCHENECTADY, N.Y.—Watching Shen Yun Performing Arts felt like being in a dream, said Anngee Lane after watching the renowned company’s classical Chinese dance and music production on Thursday night at the Proctors Theatre.
“It was unreal ... it was so nice and peaceful, how they danced so smooth. Very nice, beautiful,” Ms. Lane said.
Kay Gordon, who accompanied Ms. Lane to the performance, also praised the performance.
“Very graceful art work, I like the way they displayed different styles of dance, and it was very nice,” Mr. Gordon said.
At the core of the performances of New York-based Shen Yun is classical Chinese dance, an art form that has been passed down in China for thousands of years. The dance company also presents ethnic and folk dances from different regions of the vast land of China.
There are many aspects to Shen Yun that make it unique. One of these aspects is the state-of-the art animated digital backdrops, which sometimes interact with the performances on stage.
Speaking from his background as a freelance videographer, Mr. Gordon said he very much enjoyed the entertaining backdrops, which often featured figures appearing on the screen who later would descend onto the stage as live characters.
“I like the interesting background,” he said.
“People were flying out so that was interesting to see, like people from the back of the screen ... coming out on the stage, they were almost coming at you in certain dance scenes.”
Another highlight in the performance, Ms. Lane noted, was the hundreds of handmade costumes with silky flowing fabrics that contributed to the stunning choreography and the story being told.
“They’re beautiful, with all the swaying,” she said.
Shen Yun, Ms. Lane said, is very inspirational and “makes you just want to dance, and wish that you were able to do all the nice things that they do.”
“I’ve never seen anything like this, it’s so beautiful, and the energy they have is really great.”
Reporting by Madalina Hubert and Omid Ghoreishi
Shen Yun Performing Arts, based in New York, tours the world on a mission to revive traditional Chinese culture. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time. We have proudly covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
