DALLAS, Texas —“The dancing is just extraordinary,” said composer Lisa Bloom. “I’ve never seen dancers who could do such amazing things and the discipline is just amazingly impressive.”
Ms. Bloom was attending the premier New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts at the AT & T Performing Arts Center on May 29.
“I’ve seen a lot of dance and ballet all through my life and this is the most impressive I’ve ever seen,” she said.
“The music is gorgeous,” said Ms. Bloom who composes music for film and television.
Ms. Bloom’s male friend agreed. “The music is really amazing. I like the Chinese instruments added to the Western instruments. The combination is really good.”
“It’s so unusual, but they’ve done a really magnificent job blending the two [cultures] and also they really know how to dramatize and accentuate the emotions of what’s going on the stage. And I love also how they combined the backdrop. That’s really clever,” said Ms. Bloom.
‘Lot More Love in This World’
Also present in the audience were Justin Phillip, a senior cyber security architect, and Charlotte Phillip. The couple attended Shen Yun with Nancy Visel, an entrepreneur, and Thomas Visel, an aerospace engineer.“Monkeying Around in Paradise” a comedy from the classic Chinese novel, “Journey to the West,” and “The Restaurant Tale,” another comedy that shows the friendly jibes between restaurant owners vying for customers, were both very popular.
Mrs. Phillips also enjoyed the instrumentalist who played the traditional two-string violin, the erhu. “So beautiful,” she said.
“That range of sounds with two strings was amazing,” agreed her husband.
Mrs. Visel loved the colors and the texture which were exemplified in the dance “Water Sleeves,” which also offered a glimpse into the imperial court of a long past dynasty where elegant ladies swirl their long colorful sleeves.
Reviving China’s traditional culture resonated with the group.
Mrs. Phillip said it was important it was for people to support Shen Yun in today’s world.
Mrs. Visel agreed. “I think it’s a wonderful way to learn about other people and who they are from a historical aspect.”
“I think it’s important for people to know there’s more than just us … there’s more than just our heightened opinions of ourselves,” said Mr. Phillip.
Mrs. Visel also remarked on the issue of spirituality.
“I think the spirituality that was portrayed … is very similar to many cultures all across the world and if people could understand and look at the metaphors in the stories, they would see how much alike we really are, how our hearts are longing for redemption, how we’re looking for the Creator to come back and save us from everything," said Mrs. Visel.
“If we focussed more on those things instead of our differences I think we'd have a lot more love in this world.”
“[Shen Yun] wasn’t afraid to go into places [that] you wouldn’t normally talk about. I just loved that,” he said.
