COSTA MESA, Calif.—Business owner Wayne Brown thought Shen Yun Performing Arts was something that was a must see, once in your lifetime—so much so that he attended a performance bringing along 30 of his employees.
“It was great. It was great. It’s one of those things you know you should see. And maybe the only time you get to see something like that in your lifetime,” Brown said after attending a performance at the Segerstrom Center on April 19.
Brown had long been interested in Asian cultures, and New York-based Shen Yun’s mission is to revive 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture through performing arts.
Brown had high praise for the artists who brought the ancient civilization to life, marveling at their abilities musically, physically, and spiritually.
“It was great choreography, great movements and great talent,” he said of the dancers. Brown pointed out the various Chinese instruments that could be heard in the otherwise Western classical orchestra, especially the erhu, which was performed in a solo vignette as well.
“It’s amazing they can get the sounds and emotion out of two strings,” he remarked of the 4,000-year-old instrument.
Brown added that the spiritual nature of the culture was explained more plainly in the lyrics sung by the bel canto soloist, and he liked the message about our closeness to a higher power.
“It’s really interesting,” he said. “I think we have a close connection with everybody and everything.”
Brown felt overall Shen Yun was an important performance, showcasing a great history that maybe not everyone knows about.
“[It’s] emotional and valuable,” he said.