PORTLAND, Ore.—At Shen Yun Performing Arts’ final curtain at the Keller Auditorium on March 29, 2015, Joanna Humberd and Donny Peace felt moved and uplifted.
Ms. Humberd, an office manager at Dove Care Services, and a former English teacher in China, was left with “the boundless feeling,” she said, “where everything is possible.”
Attending with her was Donny Piece, a nurse assistant, who felt great about the performance, too. He said, “The colorful pageantry of it, the wonder of it, the introduction to Chinese history is quite fascinating. To be able to put 5,000 years of Chinese history into two hours is quite amazing.”
Mr. Piece was especially moved by the musician who played “very beautifully … the two-stringed instrument.”
He was referring to the erhu, one of the most important Chinese instruments. Though the erhu, with its 4,000-year history, has only two strings, it can convey a wide range of emotions.
“It’s a very unique sound, something my ears aren’t accustomed to. So, it was quite nice to close my eyes and take it in,” Mr. Piece added.
He was also very touched by the dance story The Power of Compassion, where, “the man who had been persecuting had wounded himself, and those who were being persecuted came back to help him,” he said. “I thought that was very moving. It was a very beautiful touch. I actually kind of teared up. ”
Ms. Humberd was also moved by the story. “I loved the persecution story,” she said. “So many times the young are our role models— they will point to the right direction—and it’s much easier to receive truth from someone younger. So I thought that was really amazing.”
Moreover, Ms. Humberd was impressed by the colors and style of costumes, which bring back ancient traditions.
“And then the color,” she said. “I couldn’t get over the color. The costumes and even the program—I’ve had it in my room for months because it’s so beautiful.
“Whoever is doing this has put everything from the show into a picture that says the whole thing: It’s bright and beautiful, and reminds you of the divine—of heaven—where everything is perfect.”
According to company’s website, the goals behind the costumes are not only for looks. In fact, “Their objective is an authentic presentation of the attire that comes from China’s divinely inspired traditional culture, and a consummate stage effect,” reads the website.
Ms. Humberd was quite impressed.
“It brings you to another place—takes you away from here on this earth, where everything is scattered and unorganized, and brings you to a place with order and beauty.”
With reporting by Nataly Teplitsky
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.
Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time. We have proudly covered audience reaction since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
