CANBERRA, Australia—The New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts opened at the Canberra Theatre on Friday Feb. 15 to a packed house, a very enthusiastic audience and two curtain calls.
Fashion consultant, Nikki Canning, was there with one of her daughters, Mercy. Ms. Canning found Shen Yun “spectacular.” She said, “I really love the colors and the dance.”
Mercy added, “I loved the costumes and how they moved and spun around.”
There were many aspects to Shen Yun that Ms. Canning loved but as a fashion consultant she really appreciated the visual display of handmade, ornately decorated costumes from the finest fabrics.
“I loved the mix of colors, they were really vibrant,” she said. “And some of the costumes with the purple, the spiritual people with purple headdress, that was really amazing.”
Shen Yun’s costume artists objective is an authentic presentation of the attire that comes from China’s divinely inspired traditional culture, and a consummate stage effect, notes the Shen Yun website.
Twelve-year-old Mercy, an aspiring fashion designer who is interested in design and the arts, also appreciated the spectacle. “I like all the colored sparkles,” she said.
Shen Yun uses state of the art digital back drops which interact with the performers on stage. The backdrop displays scenes ranging from the celestial heavens to the many breathtakingly beautiful Chinese landscapes.
“It’s also nice to see the different cultures across China and the landscapes, I loved Mongolia [Mongolian Bowl Dance]. I loved the Monkey magic [Sand Monk Is Blessed],” Ms. Canning said.
Ms. Canning explained that she was at the Shen Yun performance tonight because of her other daughter, fourteen year old Jemima, who encouraged them to go even though she herself was unable to attend as she was performing. She said Jemima would have loved the performance as she is the junior champion for Canberra in calisthenics and is currently training for the Nationals.
Ms. Canning hopes next year Jemima will be able to experience Shen Yun. “I very much recommend and hope you [the Shen Yun Company] tour Australia again,” she said.
Reporting by Lucy Liu and Leigh Smith.
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
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