BOSTON—“The colors are very … emblematic of Chinese culture, in my estimation anyway,” said filmmaker Lenny Rotman, after seeing Shen Yun Performing Arts perform. He was referring to the colorful costumes of the New York-based company.
Mr. Rotman attended the performance on Feb. 12 at the Boston Opera House with attorney Shelley Sackett, who has been to China.
Shen Yun is a world-renowned classical Chinese dance and music company, which aims to revive 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture.
Also characteristic of China for Mr. Rotman was that the dance had very difficult aerial flips and tumbling moves, a unique feature of classical Chinese dance.
“Classical Chinese dance has a long history of thousands of years, passed down continuously within the imperial palace and ancient Chinese theater and opera. Soaking up profound wisdom from every era and dynasty, it has become a complete system of dance embodying traditional aesthetic principles,” according to the company’s website.
“To me, it’s really well choreographed,” he said, adding that the dance was very entertaining.
“I like the music, and I like the flowing colors of the costumes,” Ms. Sackett said.
Shen Yun’s dancers are accompanied by a full orchestra composed of a base of symphonic instruments with traditional Chinese instruments added for the melody line.
When mentioning the spiritual aspects of Chinese culture presented in the performance, manifest in the lyrics sung by vocalists and by some of the story-based dances, Ms. Sackett said, “I loved that. I loved that part.”
She has studied Chinese culture and religion and enjoys practicing meditation.
One dance that caught Mr. Rotman’s attention was a piece about the current persecution of Falun Gong in China. It “had the most drama to it,” he said.
In the dance, titled An Unexpected Encounter, tourists visiting Tiananmen Square get mistaken for Falun Gong practitioners, who abide by truth, compassion, and tolerance, and get hauled off to jail along with the innocent practitioners.
“I thought that piece was very well done,” he said.
Ms. Sackett added that she had a similar experience: “I actually witnessed something very similar to that in Tiananmen Square.”
“There was something going on,” Ms. Sackett said. “It was very quick and quiet. They were chasing someone and then it was over. It was kind of brushed aside. The idea is not to have your attention on it.”
“And then it was back to calm,” she said.
Reporting by Jennifer Zhang and Sharon Kilarski.
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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