SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Investor Says Shen Yun, ‘From one to ten, [it’s a] ten!’

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Investor Says Shen Yun, ‘From one to ten, [it’s a] ten!’
Mary Hayley and Selim Zilkha attend Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Nokia Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles, on March 23. Jana Li/Epoch Times

LOS ANGELES—Investor Selim Zilkha attended Shen Yun Performing Arts’ final show at the Nokia Theatre, with friend Mary Haley, March 23.

Mr. Zilkha is an accomplished entrepreneur, with many credits to his name. His business portfolio is long and impressive. Some of his achievements include Zilkha Renewable Energy, which was purchased by Goldman Sachs, and was one of the nation’s largest independent wind energy development companies, he also founded Mothercare, one of the U.K.’s largest retail chains.

“We loved it,” said Mr. Zilkha. “I’m going to talk about it a great deal forever.”

Established in 2006, New York-based Shen Yun is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing China’s 5,000 years of divinely inspired culture to life through the performing arts. Having reached millions of people across nearly 20 countries and over 100 cities, Shen Yun is widely considered to be a global phenomenon.

Mr. Zilkha appreciated many aspects of the performance, including the costumes.

“The costumes are great. So beautiful,” he said. “The costumes and the dancing. Beautiful.”

According to the Shen Yun website, “Shen Yun’s costume artists collect countless designs of traditional attire, ranging from those of emperors, ministers, and generals to the everyday clothing of the common people. They use bright colors to tailor and recreate hundreds of new pieces each season. Every detail is given meticulous attention and is a result of artistic inspiration and careful polishing.”

Ms. Haley seemed to enjoy the show as much as her friend.

“It’s brilliant. Immaculate. So beautifully done,” she said.

Shen Yun’s digital backdrop was especially impressive to Ms. Haley.

“I’m amazed by the production. The projections, the scenery in the back is extraordinary,” said Ms. Haley. “It’s just so perfect.”

As the website explains, “With state-of-the-art graphics technology, Shen Yun’s digital-backdrop team creates vividly animated settings, extending the stage and transporting the audience to a world where heaven and earth are one.”

Mr. Zilka said he’d never seen a performance quite like Shen Yun. “Never ever. And I’m quite old,” he said. “It’s a very good surprise.”

Both Mr. Zilkha and Ms. Haley agree that Shen Yun is a must-see experience.

“I recommend the show to everyone,” said Mr. Zilkha. “From one to ten, [it’s a] ten!”

“I think it’s inspiring,” said Ms. Haley. “It’s an inspiration, and I noticed all the different nationalities of people as we came in, in the audience. So it’s an inspiration to everybody here.”

Shen Yun’s New York Company will now be moving on to Santa Barbara, for shows throughout next weekend, March 28 and 29.

Reporting by Jana Li and Morgan Bradley

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