LOS ANGELES—Shen Yun Performing Arts dazzled the audience at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on Jan. 13.
The New York-based classical Chinese dance and music company performed to a sold out opera house.
Screenwriter, Dale Brandenburg, was among the audience. He described the performance as delightful.
“The music was beautiful. It was well performed. I liked the orchestra. I liked that it was using traditional instruments and had a lot of original flavor. To me it sounded very traditional. It was beautiful,” he said.
Shen Yun’s New York Company Orchestra is unique in its ability to harmoniously combine classical Western and traditional Chinese instruments. “The ensemble at once expresses both the grandeur of a Western orchestra with the distinct sensibilities of China’s 5,000-year-old civilization,” says the Shen Yun website.
Mr. Brandenburg was particularly impressed by the erhu solo performance. The erhu is a two-stringed traditional Chinese instrument, which is capable of producing a wide range of sounds. Its melodies can be tender or tragic, playful or stirring—perfect for conveying the grandeur of China’s ancient history.
“The erhu solo by the woman [Xiaochun Qi] was fantastic. She really is very talented. Very beautifully played; excellent technique. She was a very, very, good musician. You could tell by the way she played it. Very delicate, wonderful performer,” Mr. Brandenburg said.
Although he couldn’t pinpoint the reason, the performance brought Mr. Brandenburg to tears.
“It made me cry. There were a couple of moments that touched my heart. Even though I don’t exactly know why. But it was touching, and some parts made me cry. It was very sweet,” he said.
Another element of the Shen Yun performance is the digitally animated backdrops that produce vivid images of China’s many wondrous landscapes. They serve to extend the stage and transport the audience to a place where heaven and earth are one, according to Shen Yun’s website.
“That was really a nice touch,” Mr. Brandenburg said about the backdrops. “I liked the backdrops and how it incorporated the whole performance with the costumes, how the colors and everything matched, and it expanded the scene.”
Mr. Brandenburg keenly noted the sincerity and humility of Shen Yun’s dancers.
“They are not dancing to try to be ‘good,’ like impress you with their dancing so much as if it seems like they are just coming from their hearts. They are rejoicing and you get to participate with that. So I like that even though they are skilled and it’s difficult to dance like that, they made it like they were just having fun and that was a nice touch,” he said.
Reporting by Gary Du and Albert Roman
Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company will perform at California Center for the Arts in San Diego Jan. 19-22.
For more information visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
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