Mr. Gearhart noticed the variety of ethnic groups within Chinese culture.
MESA, Ariz.—Shen Yun Performing Arts treated audience members to a feast for the senses at the Ikeda Theater in the Mesa Art Center on Mar. 1.
“Entertaining, relaxing, and enlightening. That is how I would describe the show,” said audience member Kurt Gearhart, who is on the board of directors and is treasurer at Stellar Runway Utilizers Association and is also a pilot for a commercial airline company.
“I am enjoying it a lot,” he said.
Mr. Gearhart said he was born in Japan and has been to Korea, so he is familiar with Asian culture. “I appreciate a lot of the culture,” he said.
Shen Yun is a New York-based classical Chinese music and dance company that tours throughout the world each year with an all-new production on its mission to revive the beauty and integrity of traditional Chinese culture. Currently in the midst of its 2013 season, Shen Yun includes three companies that are simultaneously touring North America, Europe, and Asia.
A Shen Yun performance includes the world’s foremost classically trained dancers. The Shen Yun website states that classical Chinese dance has been refined over five thousand years. “Soaking up profound wisdom from every era and dynasty, it has become a complete system of dance embodying traditional aesthetic principles with its unique dance movements, rhythms, and inner meaning.”
Mr. Gearhart was particularly impressed with the female dancers. “They [are] very poised, very smooth, and it is very interesting [to see],” he said.
According to Shen Yun’s website, “China has 55 officially recognized ethnic groups, and their distinct ways of life reflect discrepancies in local topography, climate, and religious tradition.”
Mr. Gearhart noticed the variety of ethnic groups within Chinese culture.
“I could see a lot of culture from different areas [of China],” he said. He said he could see subtle differences in the dances within and among the male and female dancers.
He said in the show “you get to see the different sides of culture as well as the different styles of dance, different costumes, and the backgrounds that help you identify where the different culture and dances come from.”
The backgrounds Mr. Gearhart referred to are the state-of-the-art digital projections that set the stage for each piece and ad vivid imagery from various parts of China.
“The backdrops are magical windows to completely different realms. From vast open grasslands in one dance to stately elegance of Tang Dynasty pavilions in another; from dusty yellow battlegrounds to tropical beaches to Himalayan peaks to picturesque scenery of the Yellow River Delta—the digital projections infinitely expands and transforms the stage,” according to the company website.
Mr. Gearhart said, “I did not really expect the backgrounds. I really think that adds a lot to it. It helps one to picture where this one might come from such as the dances and the costumes. That part is really interesting.”
After seeing the beauty in the performance, including the imagery in the backdrops, Mr. Gearhart is eager to visit China.
“I would really like to go to China. This is really interesting to me. Makes me want to go visit China now,” he said.
Reporting by Jenny Liu and Albert Roman.
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. Shen Yun Performing Arts International Company is performing at the Ikeda Theater in the Mesa Arts Center in Mesa, Ariz., March 2–3, and the Orpheum Theatre in Phoenix, Ariz., March 10. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
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