SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Conductor Discovers New Level of Excellence in Shen Yun

Jan 08, 2015
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Conductor Discovers New Level of Excellence in Shen Yun
Steve Mullins experiences Shen Yun Performing Arts at Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall, on Jan. 6, 2015. (Alex Ma/Epoch Times)

BERKELEY, Calif.—On Tuesday, Jan. 6, Shen Yun’s International Company brought the splendor of China’s 5,000 of civilization to Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall.

“I want every one of my chorus members to see this show,” said Steve Mullins, a musical conductor. “I believe it will just elevate their sense of what a good production can be like. I think it will inspire them to keep doing better and better work.”

Mr. Mullins is a professional musician and offers private lessons for students in the East Bay area as well as working as the conductor of a large community chorus in Rossmoor.

After seeing the performance, Mr. Mullins said, “Everyone exudes a spirit of professionalism and there’s a real kindness that comes from the dancers themselves. It’s just wonderful.”

As part of the artistic and scholarly endeavors in ancient China, it was always understood that to produce great works and inventions one must first require of oneself to be a good and moral person.

According to the Shen Yun website, “Today, Shen Yun’s artists—dancers, musicians, choreographers, composers, and the entire team—follow this noble tradition. For them, this spiritual connection is motivation for striving to excel, is the heart behind each movement of the dancer and each note of the musician.”

Mr. Mullins expressed in a concrete form: “Everything has been thought of to provide class and taste for the audience.”

This philosophical starting point allows Shen Yun’s choreographers, conductors, and other organizers to think first of the overall production, rather than over-emphasizing their own contribution to the show.

Many who attend Shen Yun are pleased by the powerful cooperation between different elements in the show, how the music artfully sets the mood for a scene or can signal a change in the direction of a dramatic tale from Chinese history.

Mr. Mullins delighted in the animated backdrops, which employ special effects projected behind the performers. According to the Shen Yun website, “The backdrops are magical windows to completely different realms.”

Shen Yun seamlessly integrates the background scenery with the action on the stage, performers frequently interact with and jump into the scenery.

“The special effects with the screen and the transitions from live performers to performers being on the screen are just flawless, I don’t know how they do it,” said Mr. Mullins.

Making everything go smoothly has taken Shen Yun’s dancers and technical crews countless hours of practice to make the performance as perfect as possible for their audience. As a musician, Mr. Mullins knows this personally. “The dancers … they just seem to fly,” said Mr. Mullins. “As a producer of music, I appreciate everything that goes into what it takes to make it come off and make it flawless. They’re just totally dedicated to their craft and it really shows.”

After his first experience with Shen Yun Performing Arts, Mr. Mullins could not have been more pleased and he wants to share his experience with his friends.

“I would say if you’ve ever believed me about anything, believe me about this: This show is worth coming to see. Call right away for a ticket and come see the show,” said Mr. Mullins. “It’s a perfect 10.”

Reporting by Alex Ma and Miles Segni

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.

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