LONG BEACH, Calif.—Rochell Phister, a painter, and Gomez Flores, a musician, were overflowing with compliments after seeing Shen Yun Performing Arts. It had shown what human beings could accomplish in art.
“All together, there was just an appreciation for being alive. And I feel that in myself, and so that’s why I was so touched because I felt so much happiness and the joy of living,” Ms. Phister said.
Ms. Phister had loved the visuals, and the orchestra accompanying was “just extraordinary, it was perfect. I can’t even say—it was actually perfect.”
The visuals she spoke of were 400 original and handcrafted costume pieces, which the couple thought were amazing, used almost in a prop-like effect by dancers who performed classical Chinese dance. Everything was accompanied by a digital backdrop to set the scene, and a unique orchestra combining East and West that set the tone.
“I thought they were flawless and their timing was spot on,” Mr. Flores said of the orchestra. The couple was impressed—and endeared—that even with the technical perfection of the artists, that it all seemed so human. There were no wires, CGI, or explosions. It was real.
For instance, during erhu virtuoso Xiaochun Qi’s solo on stage, Mr. Flores could see her hands on the instrument. He could see her creating a wide range of music with just two strings and a bow, even if he couldn’t fully understand how it worked.
“That was a fantastic instrument,” he said of the 4,000-year-old erhu.
“They just gave so much emotion without overdoing it,” Ms. Phister said. “It was just wonderful.”
There was a modesty in what she saw, Ms. Phister explained, from the costuming to the overall performance.
“I think modesty is a wonderful thing. So it can be extraordinary,” she said.
Ms. Phister felt the sincerity of the dancers’ performance was “very evident.”
It was emotional, but not over the top,“ she said. ”I really loved that. And everything was very gentle. And I love that too.”
Ms. Phister said the performance would influence her as an artist.
“It already has, yes absolutely, just become part of me,” she said.
Mr. Flores said he was inspired from hearing the Chinese instruments mixed into the orchestra in completely original compositions. “That was pretty amazing,” he said.
“I wasn’t expecting that.”
He wished to see the orchestra alone, so he could focus in on the music. Ms. Phister agreed—the orchestra was so perfect she forgot it was live.
Reporting by Albert Roman and Catherine Yang
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit Shen Yun Performing Arts.
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.
