COSTA MESA, Calif.—Among the sold-out audience members watching the world renowned Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company on Sunday afternoon at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts were Arlene and Dale Post.
Arlene Post, a retired ballerina with extensive ballet teaching experience that spans close to 55 years, had high praise for every aspect of Shen Yun.
According to the Shen Yun website, “A Shen Yun performance features the world’s foremost classically trained dancers, a unique orchestra blending East and West, and dazzling animated backdrops—together creating one spectacular performance.”
Independent and nonprofit, New York-based Shen Yun was established in 2006 by a group of leading classical Chinese artists with the mission of reviving China’s divinely inspired traditional Chinese culture, which has nearly been destroyed by the current regime in China over the last several decades.
Ms. Post marvelled at the classical Chinese dance presented by Shen Yun and the story behind each dance.
“I love it. It’s fabulous. They’re so synchronized, they’re wonderful, and they tell a good story.”
According to the Shen Yun website, “Classical Chinese dance has its own training in basic skills, physical expression and postures, leaps, flips, spins and other difficult tumbling techniques, forming an extensive and independent dance system.
“Through the universal language of music and dance, Shen Yun weaves a wondrous tapestry of heavenly realms, ancient legends, and modern heroic tales, taking you on a journey through 5,000 years of Chinese culture. Its stunning beauty and tremendous energy leave audiences uplifted and inspired.”
As a dancer and experienced dance instructor, Ms. Post recognized the hard work, long hours, and tremendous amount of practice that the dancers endure to be able to put on such a performance.
She also expressed her admiration for the music performed by the Shen Yun Orchestra.
“I love the music, the music is wonderful. I love the way they combined it, how they talked about the different Chinese instruments.”
Music is an important component of Shen Yun, with each dance supported by the Shen Yun Orchestra. The orchestra is unique in that it combines Chinese instruments, such as the erhu, pipa, and suona, with a full Western symphony orchestra.
Ms. Post added, “I love the staging. The way they come up and disappear, I think it’s wonderful.”
She was referring to another unique aspect of Shen Yun: the state-of-the-art digital backdrop that interacts with the dancers to create a full theatrical effect.
Ms. Post summed it up, “I love it, all of it.”
Reporting by Jane Yang and Thanh Le
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
