NEW YORK—Donna Schinderman, who was vice president of Warner Bros. Records before she retired, praised the discipline and fluidity of the Shen Yun Performing Arts dancers.
Ms. Schinderman and Johanna Kamuca, who is also in the music industry, attended Shen Yun at Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater on Saturday. “It was fantastic, absolutely amazing,” Ms. Kamuca said. She loved Shen Yun Performing Arts Orchestra’s unique blend of classical Chinese and Western instruments.
“It was fantastic, it really sounded good,” she said. Violins play alongside erhu, traditional Chinese stringed instruments; oboes play alongside dizi, bamboo wind instruments.
The New York-based company tours the world with a mission to revive 5,000 years of ancient Chinese culture nearly lost under the communist regime. The music, attire, and all the ancient arts of China are said to be bestowed by divine beings.
Shen Yun’s website explains, “Over its past 60 years of rule, the communist regime has treated traditional Chinese values—centered on the idea of harmony between heaven and earth—as a threat to its existence. And in its systematic campaigns like the Cultural Revolution, it has uprooted traditional beliefs and destroyed ancient treasures.”
Ms. Schinderman said it’s great that Shen Yun is presenting China’s true story to a diverse audience in New York. She and Ms. Kamuca agreed that the ancient legends, the tales of modern heroism, and the heavenly scenes were portrayed in an easy-to-understand way and were enjoyed by children and adults alike.
“I love their movements—they’re very fluid, very pretty,” Ms. Schinderman said. “Very visual, pretty, and colorful. It was beautiful.”
The world’s best classical Chinese dancers bring the stories to life, as both stories and dance forms have grown together over thousands of years. Classical Chinese dance has passed through many dynasties, it has been shaped by the values and characteristics of each. It has been used to pass on the legends and history of the nation.
Ms. Kamuca said the performance was uplifting. Ms. Schinderman said she also caught a sense of the great control with which the dancers have mastered their art.
The two women found the values portrayed in the dance as a positive force for everyone in the audience.
Ms. Kamuca said, she could see thousands of years ago the “idea of being spiritual and being peaceful and having generosity of spirit ... and tolerance.”
“I think this is good, especially for whatever age you are, to be reminded of that,” she said. “I think is important.”
Reporting by Catherine Yang and Tara MacIsaac
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit Shen Yun Performing Arts.
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.
