SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Chief Deputy Treasurer Recommends People to See Shen Yun

Mar 10, 2014
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Chief Deputy Treasurer Recommends People to See Shen Yun
Royce Flora and his wife, Ann, enjoy Shen Yun Performing Arts at the ASU Gammage Theater, in Tempe. (Epoch Times)

TEMPE, Ariz.—The world-renowned Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company continued to impress audiences at March 8’s evening performance at the ASU Gammage Theater.

Among the audience were Royce Flora, Maricopa County chief deputy treasurer, his wife Ann, and Dr. Harlan Stratton, a retired surgeon who is an orthopedic consultant to Anthems Insurance Co.

They all had high praise for the performance.

“It’s very nice,” said Mr. Flora. “Very impressive.”

“It’s been a lot of fun to see it, and I’m very impressed,” said Dr. Stratton. “I’ve never seen a presentation like this as far as Chinese dancing, but I was the one that got everybody to come out. So I really wanted to come and see it, and I’m glad that we came.”

Independent and nonprofit, New York-based Shen Yun was established in 2006 by artists from around the world with the mission of reviving China’s divinely inspired traditional Chinese culture, which had nearly been completely destroyed by the current regime in China over the last several decades. It has quickly become an international sensation, with four companies simultaneously touring around the world.

Both Mr. Flora and Dr. Stratton appreciated the value in Shen Yun’s mission to bring back Chinese history and traditional culture.

According to the Shen Yun website, “For 5,000 years divine culture flourished in the land of China. Humanity’s treasure was nearly lost, but through breathtaking music and dance, New York-based Shen Yun is bringing back this glorious culture.”

“I’ve never seen any presentation like this before. It’s really an insight into Chinese history and Chinese traditions. So it’s very educational,” said Dr. Stratton.

Mr. Flora explained, “I think at a fundamental level it is showing commonalities across the world. With the ancient Chinese tradition and culture, it really matches. It’s got a little bit different angle of course for their country, but it really goes together, and it certainly goes well with what’s going on in the world today.”

According to the website, “A Shen Yun performance features the world’s foremost classically trained dancers, a unique orchestra blending East and West, and dazzling animated backdrops—together creating one spectacular performance.”

Mr. Flora indicated that his childhood’s kung fu practice enabled him to thoroughly enjoy the dances. “Oh these guys are amazing! They’re in great shape, they got good form, they’re very smooth. It’s very enjoyable,” He said. “It’s absolutely beautiful! I love it!”

A Shen Yun performance includes a variety of short pieces that transport audiences through China’s 5,000 years of civilization replete with myths and legends, modern stories of courage, and traditional ethnic villages dramatized through dance. At times dozens of dancers are on stage at once.

Mr. Flora said he was “mesmerized by the activity and the coordination” of the dance.
Another notable feature of Shen Yun is its use of rich, animated digital backdrops to add context and immerse the viewers for each dance. Setting each dance is an animated digital backdrop, which at times interacts with the dancers.

“That’s very nice touch! The transition from real life into the animation is very smooth, too. It’s almost seamless. They’ve really done a good job,” said Mr. Flora.

Summing up the performance, Mr. Flora said, “I would recommend people to come see it. It’s very colorful, very smooth. It’s exciting!”

With reporting by Thanh Le

New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit Shen Yun Performing Arts.

The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time. We have proudly covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.