NEW YORK—After watching Shen Yun Performing Arts at Lincoln Center on Friday, Romanian poet Rodic Culianu said she had “a feeling of being at ease” with herself and nature.
The New York-based company brings the world’s premier classical Chinese dancers to stages all over the globe. It returned home on Wednesday and has performed for full houses at Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater since.
“It’s so much femininity, so much grace, beauty,” said Ms. Culianu after the performance.
She praised the lyrics of the songs that tenors and sopranos performed in between some of the dances. Though sung in Chinese, the songs’ translations are displayed as subtitles on the digital backdrop along with Chinese landscapes.
“They sing about very superior things from the universe and the unification of the human being with heaven,” said Ms. Culianu, “The whole show is like a poem.”
She appreciated not only the profundity of the songs, but also the comic relief of some of the dances. She found the Joyful Little Monks amusing. The young monks in a temple get up to some playful fun while the master is away.
“I felt like flowing with nature and with dance and silk,” said Ms. Calianu, “I feel good, I’m happy.”
The handmade silk costumes vary widely from dance to dance. The dance Sleeves of Silk features water sleeves which act as extensions of a dancer’s arms and “linger in the air long after a movement is finished,” as the Shen Yun program describes it.
Reporting by NTD and Tara MacIsaac
Shen Yun Performing Arts, based in New York, tours the world on a mission to revive traditional Chinese culture. Shen Yun Performing Arts Touring Company will perform at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center through April 22.
For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3WTKCEA4tE[/video]
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