HONOLULU—Jim Henry, associate professor of the writing department at the University of Hawaii, found an imaginative and inventive world in Shen Yun Performing Arts while watching the performance at the Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall in Honolulu May 5.
“I love all the storylines,” Mr. Henry said. “They’re so ... ethereal, in a way.”
“I thought it was evocative. I think it invites your mind to dance along with the characters and imagine the storyline and kinds of confrontations and rewards,” Mr. Henry said. “It’s very evocative.”
New York-based Shen Yun tells stories from the 5,000 years of Chinese civilization up to the present day in an effort to revive the divinely inspired traditional Chinese culture, which Mr. Henry felt came through.
Mr. Henry said he felt the spirituality of the culture through the stories “on a mythic level, a lot of nice imagery, and [it] kind of evoked feelings.”
“I really enjoyed every number,” Mr. Henry said. “It’s just inventive and very rhythmic, well choreographed, a little bit of humor—it’s good.”
Beyond the narrative, Mr. Henry said he enjoyed the other aspects that went into Shen Yun’s storytelling.
“[It’s] lyrical, colorful. Beautiful costumes, wonderful costumes,“ Mr. Henry said. ”I love the flourishes, the music is great—it’s very entertaining.”
“I also enjoyed the interplay between the stage dancing and the [animated backdrop]—the interactions between characters on the stage,” Mr. Henry said. “Very inventive, very imaginative.”
Reporting by Alex Ma and Catherine Yang
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three 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.
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