ATLANTA—Paul Wallace and his wife saw Shen Yun for their first time at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre on Jan. 2. “Very, very fascinating!” Mr. Wallace said.
Mr. Wallace recently retired as a project manager with Exelon Corporation, a large energy company based in Chicago. It does business in 48 states and is one of the largest competitive U.S. power generators, according to its website.
Besides his career in energy, Mr. Wallace has an arts background. He comes from a family of musicians. “I play a little piano and sing,” he said, with a twinkle in his eye. “I spent a lot of time in theaters.”
“I was impressed with the choreography, costumes, the way they integrated the film [digital backdrops] with the dance, and I really appreciate the information that they give you about the culture,” he said. One of Shen Yun’s innovations is a projected animated backdrop, which the dancers seem to enter and emerge from.
Some of the Shen Yun dances tell stories from China’s literature, legends, and history. Mr. Wallace liked that educational side of Shen Yun: “I am learning a lot, but it is beautiful to watch.”
He noted the beauty and skills of the artists: “Gorgeous dancers, and the choreography is so together. I mean it is so well-rehearsed.”
Classical Chinese dance is a dance form built on profound traditional esthetics, according to the Shen Yun program book. It is an extensive and independent system of dance.
“Intricate and well-performed,” Mr. Wallace said of the dancing.
The program says classical Chinese dance involves combinations of leaps, turns, flips, spins, and other aerial and tumbling techniques. “It is amazing to watch, and the acrobatic part of it is thrilling too,” Mr. Wallace said.
He found humor and charm in the dance The Fable of the Magic Brush, in which foolish ruffians steal a paintbrush that makes whatever it paints become real. The greedy thieves learn that the brush will not obey an impure heart. “That was funny,” Mr. Wallace said with a big smile.
A neighbor gave Mr. and Mrs. Wallace tickets as a gift. He said he was glad and that the gift had broadened his experience.
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.
