TAOYUAN, Taiwan—Huang Chih-Cheng and his wife in the evening of April 6 watched Shen Yun’s first performance in Taoyuan. Huang is the Dental Director of Taoyuan General Hospital, Department of Health. Mr. Huang is also the former president of Rotary Club of Jhongli Jhonghsing—he brought many of his friends from the Rotary Club with him.
“It’s my third time watching the show this year,” said Huang. “I think the performance is bright, dazzling, and inspiring.”
Mr. Huang especially adores Dance of the Qiang People. “The movements are continuous like clouds and streams of water—so exquisite,” he said. “Their costumes change every year, and every year they have been stunning. It’s Shen Yun’s sixth year and my wife and I were wondering what how they get the stunning and luxurious clothes!”
New-York based Shen Yun’s performance of classical Chinese dance is accompanied by a full live orchestra which uses both Eastern and Western classical instruments. “The combination makes such a marvelous performance,” said Mr. Huang.
Mr. Huang was impressed by the erhu solo. The 4,000 year-old, two-stringed erhu is also known as the Chinese violin. “It’s not easy to play erhu well,” said Huang. “Shen Yun’s erhu artist let me feel the subtlety and depth of the music. There is a lot of details in the music, and it’s very appealing to the ears, and soul-touching as well.”
He said he liked the ’soft and flexible dances that are rich and overwhelming to the eyes like Snowflakes Welcoming Spring. The handkerchiefs are used in a very creative way.”
In the piece, “dancers take small, quick steps through snowy fields as they skillfully spin and twirl sequined handkerchiefs,” describes Shen Yun’s program. “They delight and dazzle the eye in this northeastern folk dance. In the end, the snow finally melts to reveal winter’s parting gift: the birth of spring.”
“They had to spend a lot of time and hard work on this piece, I just know,” said Mr. Huang. “This is how they can present such a high quality performance. I highly admire Shen Yun’s artists because they are very professional in what they do and they put in so much work in it.”
After the 5,000 year-old, divinely inspired Chinese culture was nearly decimated by communist rule in China, Shen Yun was formed to travel the world reviving this ancient culture and its values, such as “benevolence, honor, propriety, wisdom, and sincerity, as well as a reverence for the gods and the heavens,” explains the company’s website.
“I believe that besides work, there should be art and spiritual belief in life,” Mr. Huang concluded. “I can see both of these in Shen Yun’s performance.”
Reporting by Li Da-Wei and Lin Hsin-Yi
Shen Yun Performing Arts, based in New York, tours the world on a mission to revive traditional Chinese culture. Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company will perform in seven cities in Taiwan until April 8 and then continue to top venues in Australia and New Zealand.
For more information visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
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