Banker: ‘I was very impressed’

“The backdrop is excellent. I like the special effects and how it’s [the backdrop] integrated with the dancers—it’s very creative. I was very impressed,” Jose Rivas said.
Banker: ‘I was very impressed’
2/11/2012
Updated:
8/14/2015

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.—Jose Rivas, a banker, his sister, and her husband, Rusty, a veterinarian, attended one of the two Shen Yun performances at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts on Feb. 11.

“It is really good,” Mr. Rivas said. “It’s good for us to understand more about Chinese culture,” the traditions, and the 5,000 years of history.

Based in New York, Shen Yun Performing Arts was established in 2006 with the mission of reviving the traditional Chinese culture, which has been all but wiped out by decades of communist rule, especially since the Cultural Revolution.

Mr. Rivas said he had read about Shen Yun in an article in a newspaper, saw tickets on sale at the mall, and “remembered hearing good things about the show.”

“The backdrop is excellent. I like the special effects and how it’s [the backdrop] integrated with the dancers—it’s very creative. I was very impressed,” he said.

Animated backdrops projected behind the dancers expand the stage, enhancing it with flowered landscapes, forests, Mongolian plains, and heavenly paradises. Audience members often comment on the effectiveness of the high-tech images and the way the dancers seem to appear from out of the backdrop or fly off into it.

Mr. Rivas also commented on the universal themes of “harmony between individuals” and “good and evil forces.” These themes are presented in Shen Yun’s song lyrics and story-based dances that also convey the traditional belief that good brings good returns and evil brings retribution.

“I believe in good and believe in the good of people, so I liked to see that,” Mr. Rivas said.

The ancient Chinese culture, “with its values of benevolence, honor, propriety, wisdom, and sincerity, as well as a reverence for the gods and the heavens,” has a deep spiritual core, according to the Shen Yun website.

Reporting by Victoria Wu and Louise Rothman.

Shen Yun Performing Arts Touring Company, one of three Shen Yun companies, is performing at the Broward Center through Feb. 12. This year, for the first time, Shen Yun will perform in Tampa, with three performances scheduled for the Straz Center for the Performing Arts on March 3 and 4.

For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.