NEW YORK—Journalist Andrea Doyle came away with more than she expected after seeing Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company at Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater on Saturday, April 20.
“I just saw the show and I was blown away. It was spectacular,” she said.
Shen Yun, a New York based performance group, aims to revive China’s 5,000 year “divinely inspired culture” through the performing arts, according to the company website.
Ms. Doyle said she “loved” the Shen Yun dancers, singers, and musicians, and was particularly impressed with the Shen Yun Orchestra.
She also enjoyed the way the myths and legends—lore from Chinese culture, were portrayed.
“Each scene was a different story. That is what I really enjoyed. It had a theme, a protagonist,” she said.
“It let me learn a little more about the Chinese culture,” she added with appreciation.
But there was another dimension to Shen Yun and Chinese culture that Ms. Doyle had not quite anticipated.
“The whole show was very deep. It was not just surface,” she said.
There was a whole spiritual side to the show ... the part when they went to heaven. It made you feel spiritual.”
“It was like good prevailed and I really thought that was great.” she said.
John Burke accompanied Ms. Doyle to see Shen Yun and was taken with the performances. He commended the dancers for their skills and light footwork.
“The gracefulness of the dancers.. You couldn’t even hear them when they landed on the stage.”
Like Ms. Doyle, he was impressed with the Shen Yun Orchestra which blends Chinese and Western music and classical instruments into a unique sound.
“Fantastic,” he said. “Very good, but not overbearing. It blended nicely with what was going on on stage.”
He was also intrigued with the projected digital backdrops used to create animated scenes that interact with the live dancers on stage.
“I have never seen that before. That was new to me,” he said.
He also enjoyed the solo musical performances, the singing, and the way the spiritual undercurrent ran through the performances.
“It tied it all in,” he said.
Ms. Doyle said it was the first time they had seen Shen Yun and they would definitely be back.
“There is a whole lot to think about, and I think I am going to keep thinking about it,” she said.
Reporting by NTD Television and Kristen Meriwether.
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
Shen Yun Performing Arts is performing at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center through April 28.
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.
