BERKELEY, Calif.—Alastair Dorward and Julie Cane experienced Shen Yun Performing Arts World Company at the Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley on Jan. 7. “This is our first chance to see Shen Yun, and it’s just an amazing experience, we’re so happy we’re here,” said Mr. Dorward.
Shen Yun, he said, is “a cultural experience that you have to go and see. Beautiful costumes, amazing music, precision in performance. It has something for everybody.”
“Clearly there’ve been years and years of training to accomplish this. I wish my kids were here to see this,” he added. His children perform ballet and other Western dance, and he said he knew they would be inspired by classical Chinese dance.
Mr. Dorward is general manager of a business, and said his company does a lot of advertising aimed at the Chinese community. Shen Yun’s mission is to revive authentic Chinese culture.
According to the Shen Yun website, “One discovers a sea of traditional Chinese culture” in Shen Yun.
“There’s a combination of amazing tradition, also with a sense of future,” Mr. Dorward said. “Amazing combination of history, dance—but also with a real spiritual dimension. That was very striking.”
He felt grateful that he was able to see it. “It’s very humbling that this amazing experience cannot be shown in China, and we’re so privileged to experience this here.” According to the program, you cannot see a performance like Shen Yun in China today.
Mr. Dorward was also impressed by the orchestra.
“Really fascinating—very strong combinations, some very unusual music and unusual chords and instrumental sounds.” According to the program, the music melds distinctive Chinese sound with the precision and power of the Western orchestra. “So it blends perfectly,” said Mr. Dorward. “I think it is very compelling. Having live music is always exciting.”
Ms. Cane was delighted with the show’s visual aspect. “I thought it was brilliant. Incredible. The choreography was amazing, and the costumes were just gorgeous, really well done.”
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
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.
