CHICAGO—Persio Lisboa came with 6 family members to see Shen Yun Performing Arts on April 2. The classical Chinese music and dance company opened its five-performance run on Wednesday night at Chicago’s Civic Opera House, where the Lyric Opera makes its home.
Mr. Lisboa had received a brochure in the mail and “thought it would be good to come and see what Shen Yun is, and it was absolutely the right thing to do!” he said.
“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,” according to Shen Yun’s website.
Mr. Lisboa is the senior vice president and chief procurement officer at Navistar, Inc, a Fortune 500 company. His family is now living in Naperville, Ill. but originally came from Brazil.
“Beautiful, we loved it—the colors,” he said. Mr. Lisboa was referring to the hundreds of handmade costumes that fill the stage with color.
“Really good. I think it was a good balance of all the different presentations, very nice balance,” he said.
At the heart of Shen Yun is classical Chinese dance, one of the most challenging and expressive dance systems in the world. Classical Chinese dances in combination with Chinese folk dances comprise the 20 or so short pieces that make up the evening.
“I enjoyed it a lot and I loved the songs and the instruments, because everything was well balanced and I really appreciated it,” he said.
Shen travels with classically trained vocalists as well as Shen Yun’s orchestra, unique in its mix of Western symphonic instruments with Chinese traditional instruments, which carry the melody.
“I really appreciated it,” Mr. Lisboa said.
Reporting by Catherine Wen and Sharon Kilarski
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
