HOUSTON—Many audience members spoke enthusiastically about Shen Yun after the Dec. 30 matinee at Jones Hall for the Performing Arts. “I love the dancing; it is very uplifting and enjoyable,” said Mrs. Debby Mesnay, who is an environmental manager for Coca Cola.
Chinese dance is very expressive and varied. According to the Shen Yun website, “classical Chinese dance has become a complete system of dance embodying traditional aesthetic principles with its unique dance movements, rhythms, and inner meaning.”
‘Very eye opening’
Jim Mesnay, a marketer with Plains All American Pipeline, said it was very interesting to get a glimpse of the culture and lifestyle of China, and to see slices of Chinese life. Shen Yun portrays contemporary and historic stories of Chinese life and “dance forms passed down among the many minority ethnic groups within China,” according to its website. It also features folk dance, the popular dance styles passed down among the majority Han ethnicity, like the Yang Ge, ribbon, and handkerchief dances.
Mr. Mesnay said it was “very eye opening.” He said the “dancers are very talented,” and was pleased with the purpose of the company: “It is great that this is being celebrated.”
Based in New York, Shen Yun’s mission is reviving the 5,000 year, divinely inspired culture, one that was “all but demolished” by more than six decades of communist rule.
‘Very refreshing’
Eric Amalco, who also attended the performance, said he is a lawyer by training. He said he felt that Shen Yun is “a great cultural experience,”
It shows a lot about Chinese culture, he added, calling it “very refreshing, very beautiful.”
‘It’s very good’
A first-time audience member admired the skill and charisma of the performers. Mr. Brian Worthingtonis a finance manager for Conoco Phillips and lived in Beijing for two years.
“The show is very well, it’s very good,” he said. “The dancers were all very exciting and fun to watch.”
He particularly enjoyed the comic dance When Shaolin Monks Protected the Emperor, which tells a story from the founding of the Tang Dynasty. Mr. Worthington praised the artists’ mastery of many different pieces of choreography: “All the dancers, it seemed like there were 20 different dances they were doing, and they all did it very well.”
With reporting by Catherine Yang.
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. Shen Yun’s International Company will be performing in Houston through January 1. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
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