OMAHA, Nebraska—Shen Yun Performing Arts hailed as an evening of excitement and wonder tonight, downtown at the exquisite Orpheum Theater in the capital of Nebraska.
The Orpheum Theater, built in 1927, has a rich history. Apart from being one of Nebraska’s main center for performing arts, it was once part of the Vaudeville circuit. Comedian Red Skelton once performed on its stage during a grand re-opening in the mid 1970s. Since then, the theater has undergone several major renovations to attain the elegance it has today.
Tonight Shen Yun, in its world tour, for one night only, graced the stage by bringing a fantastic example of traditional Chinese culture to this cultural center of the “Gate City of the West.”
Among the thrilled viewers was Pam Hall, a retired elementary school teacher and her husband Tom Hall, a purchasing manager for a pharmaceutical company.
Ms. Hall seemed flabbergasted by what she saw: “Just all the colors, the costumes are just magnificent and the movement and how they are all in sync it’s just unbelievable! To be able to do some of the moves they do with the jumping and the twirling and the flips and the stories behind it is just incredible.”
Shen Yun showcases classical Chinese dance, perhaps the most expressive medium in the classical dance world, to bear on Chinese legends and stories.
“I knew [this] was going to be a very colorful presentation, and I loved the way that they intertwined the history with the different productions that they are doing,” Ms. Hall continued.
Harmoniously integrated with the dances, were lavish backdrops, and Ms. Hall’s opinion were that they were “very neat, very cool. The backdrops are gorgeous.”
As a school teacher, Ms. Hall also praised the educational aspects of the show: “We sat right behind a little girl from a junior high and she was taking Chinese, and she was saying how easy the writing is because we were trying to read the words on the songs and ... it looked so complicated and she said ‘Oh no, it’s real easy to learn.’”
Ms. Hall paused to laugh at how easy it is for children to learn before she continued: “It’s a good educational experience for those kids who are taking that as a language. It would be a great school show.
Mr. Hall shared his thoughts as well, saying, “The program was magnificent: the coloring, the stories, the history, and particularly liked the last set from Tibet.”
One thing Mr. Hall found interesting was that the show depicted current ongoing abuses in China committed by the government. Despite the heavy themes, in these dances, he found their presentation a pleasant experience.
“Omaha isn’t exactly the Chinese center of the world. Let me tell you that we have some Chinese restaurants and that’s about the extent of our culture, but this kind of enlightened [Omaha] a little bit,” he concluded.
With reporting by Valerie Avore.
The next stop of the Shen Yun International Performing Arts Company is Milwaukee where they will perform April 23 and 24.
For more information, please visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
The Orpheum Theater, built in 1927, has a rich history. Apart from being one of Nebraska’s main center for performing arts, it was once part of the Vaudeville circuit. Comedian Red Skelton once performed on its stage during a grand re-opening in the mid 1970s. Since then, the theater has undergone several major renovations to attain the elegance it has today.
Tonight Shen Yun, in its world tour, for one night only, graced the stage by bringing a fantastic example of traditional Chinese culture to this cultural center of the “Gate City of the West.”
Among the thrilled viewers was Pam Hall, a retired elementary school teacher and her husband Tom Hall, a purchasing manager for a pharmaceutical company.
Ms. Hall seemed flabbergasted by what she saw: “Just all the colors, the costumes are just magnificent and the movement and how they are all in sync it’s just unbelievable! To be able to do some of the moves they do with the jumping and the twirling and the flips and the stories behind it is just incredible.”
Shen Yun showcases classical Chinese dance, perhaps the most expressive medium in the classical dance world, to bear on Chinese legends and stories.
“I knew [this] was going to be a very colorful presentation, and I loved the way that they intertwined the history with the different productions that they are doing,” Ms. Hall continued.
Harmoniously integrated with the dances, were lavish backdrops, and Ms. Hall’s opinion were that they were “very neat, very cool. The backdrops are gorgeous.”
As a school teacher, Ms. Hall also praised the educational aspects of the show: “We sat right behind a little girl from a junior high and she was taking Chinese, and she was saying how easy the writing is because we were trying to read the words on the songs and ... it looked so complicated and she said ‘Oh no, it’s real easy to learn.’”
Ms. Hall paused to laugh at how easy it is for children to learn before she continued: “It’s a good educational experience for those kids who are taking that as a language. It would be a great school show.
Mr. Hall shared his thoughts as well, saying, “The program was magnificent: the coloring, the stories, the history, and particularly liked the last set from Tibet.”
One thing Mr. Hall found interesting was that the show depicted current ongoing abuses in China committed by the government. Despite the heavy themes, in these dances, he found their presentation a pleasant experience.
“Omaha isn’t exactly the Chinese center of the world. Let me tell you that we have some Chinese restaurants and that’s about the extent of our culture, but this kind of enlightened [Omaha] a little bit,” he concluded.
With reporting by Valerie Avore.
The next stop of the Shen Yun International Performing Arts Company is Milwaukee where they will perform April 23 and 24.
For more information, please visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
