BRISBANE, Australia—Brisbane City Councillor Norm Wyndham attended Shen Yun Performing Arts Touring Company’s opening presentation of classical Chinese dance and music, held at QPAC’s Lyric Theatre on Friday evening, Feb. 1.
“I’m enjoying it, it’s very different,” the local government official said of the New York-based performance, adding that he particularly appreciated the variation of the different styles of dance.
Shen Yun presents colorful and exhilarating performances, showing traditional Chinese culture “as it once was: a study in grace, wisdom, and the virtues distilled from the five millennia of Chinese civilization,” states the company website.
Cr. Norm Wyndham said the Shen Yun dances were of good quality and of a high standard.
At the core of a Shen Yun performance is classical Chinese dance, with numerous ethnic and folk dance styles from China to round out the show.
Cr. Norm Wyndham has attended many different dance events, and commented that, “All countries have a uniqueness to their dance to try to tell their stories—China’s many provinces have many aspects.”
He also enjoyed the interaction between dancers and the hi-tech animated backdrops, depicting scenes from the Himalayas to tropical lake-filled regions; from the legends of the culture’s creation over 5,000 years ago through to the story of Falun Dafa, a meditation discipline that is persecuted in communist China today.
“I wasn’t expecting the digital side of it. I liked the digital side of the transition into [real] life—very good timing,” Cr. Norm Wyndham said.
The show also features the Shen Yun Orchestra, which blends Eastern and Western instrumentals in original compositions.
Tenors, sopranos, and other award-winning vocalists perform piano-accompanied solos, along with a regular favorite—the stirring melodies of the two-stringed erhu, also known as the Chinese violin.
Cr. Norm Wyndham said he would tell others to come and see Shen Yun.
Reporting by Janita Kan and Raiatea Tahana-Reese.
Shen Yun Performing Arts, based in New York, tours the world on a mission to revive traditional Chinese culture. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
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