Bank Managing Director Says Shen Yun Is Unforgettable and Priceless
May 21, 2022
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Lucy Nixon at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, Calif., on May 20, 2022. (NTD)
COSTA MESA, Calif.— Lucy Nixon, a bank managing director, was delighted by the Shen Yun Performing Arts performance at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California, on May 20.
“It’s unforgettable. … Everything was just perfect,” she said.
New York-based Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance company. Along with folk dances and solo musical performances, the production depicts story-based pieces that tell tales from ancient times to the modern-day. The company’s website says its performance, this year, demonstrates “China before communism.”
This was Ms. Nixon’s first time attending Shen Yun and she commented that it exceeded her expectations.
“It was a fabulous performance. … I was very pleasantly surprised because I learned something about the history of China that I didn’t know.”
I grew up in a communist country—in Poland, so it was interesting for me to see,” she said. “The history … combined with dance was quite [an] emotional and amazing experience.”
In addition to ancient myths and legends, Shen Yun presents story-based dances depicting the persecution in China of Falun Dafa, also called Falun Gong, a meditation and spiritual discipline based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance.
Ms. Nixon said that the two dance stories regarding the persecution of Falun Dafa made the strongest impression on her. “The stories from communist China,” she said, “just hit home.”
As a former rhythmic gymnast, Ms. Nixon was also impressed with the agility and talent of the Shen Yun dancers.
“The way they performed, … the amplitude, the flexibility was fabulous,” she said.
“One thing that surprised me the most is how quietly they landed all of their tumbling and all of their jumps. … They were amazing!”
With its demanding flips and gentle elegance, classical Chinese dance is one of the most athletic and expressive art forms in the world. According to the company’s website, Shen Yun has preserved the true aesthetics of this classical dance system—the way it has been passed down from antiquity—and presents this authentic culture in its purest form.
In regards to the performers, Ms. Nixon commented that it was hard to put into words how talented they were.
“That was just … priceless. It’s hard to express, they are just that good!”
Shen Yun Performing Arts Global Company's curtain call at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Costa Mesa, on May 20, 2022. (Ji Yuan/The Epoch Times)
