WASHINGTON—Mr. Fred Lazarus, president of the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), the longest serving president of a 4-year college in Maryland, loved the Shen Yun Performing Arts’ performance on Jan. 25.
The performance was hosted by Washington’s Kennedy Center Opera House and was also attended by Mr. Lazarus’s wife Jonna Lazarus, an award-winning landscape designer and owner of Lazarus Design Associates.
Mr. Lazarus said that this is the first time they have seen the Shen Yun performance.
“We loved the show. It was our first experience with it.”
He said that the overall performance was amazing.
“I love the dance and I especially enjoyed what they do with their hands by using the lanterns, sleeves, and the chopsticks. It’s what distinguishes it from Western dance, because the hand movements and the hand things don’t happen, so you get a much more dynamic expression.”
The Shen Yun showed landscapes and other pictures on the backdrop. They highlighted the scenes on stage.
“I was impressed by what we were shown on the backdrop. It was amazing to see how they integrated the screen and the three-dimensionality of the backdrop.”
Overall, “the performance is wonderful; the sound of the music is great, which truly impressed me.”
Established in 2006 by a group of overseas artists, Shen Yun has set out on a mission to revive 5,000 years of civilization, in particular the spirituality that was part of China’s divinely inspired culture. Mr. Lazarus had, prompted by his visits to China, researched about the spiritual aspect of traditional Chinese culture.
“I’ve read a good bit before I went, so I can’t say that there was a great deal I haven’t known from a cultural point of view.”
However, “I don’t know the movement of the dance as much, but I’m familiar with the history and culture”
Reporting Jenny Jing and Heide B. Malhotra
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
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.
