WASHINGTON—Jim and Cheryl Painter are senior administrators in Washington D.C. and took time out to see Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Kennedy Center on March 22.
Shen Yun was a new experience for them and they enjoyed the many different aspects of the performance.
“The athleticism of the dancers, the color, the musical accompaniment, the rhythm, and the backdrop is spectacular as well,” said Mr. Painter. “It’s quite innovative, quite different to anything I have seen before.”
Based in New York, Shen Yun Performing Arts was established in 2006 with the aim to restore and revive China’s traditional, divinely inspired culture.
Every year, the company unveils an entirely new line-up of dances, songs, and musical scores. In a collection of short pieces, audiences are taken on a journey that includes China’s ethnic cultures, it’s many legends and even contemporary pieces like the story of Falun Dafa in China today.
Mr. Painter said he knew very little about Chinese culture and Shen Yun had been a whole new experience for him.
“It’s beautiful ... All of the dancers, there was such a variety. I just enjoyed the whole thing,” he said.
Mr. and Mrs. Painter were surprised to learn that Shen Yun was New York-based and the company had been unable to tour in China.
“Actually a lot of people will not know that because it has been such a closed society,” said Mrs. Painter. “Very little is known.”
They said they would recommend their friends come and see Shen Yun, particularly one who speaks Chinese and had studied in China.
“We were thinking of him while we were watching,” Mr. Painter said.
Light Hearted Aspects ‘Really Fun’
Aila Kaipi was also in the audience with her husband on March 22. She is interested in the arts and wrote her thesis about China. Her son is now living in Taiwan.
The Shen Yun performance seemed “very familiar,” Ms. Kaipi said, describing Chinese culture as “genuine.”
She particularly enjoyed the light hearted aspects of Shen Yun, commenting on the performance Sleeves of Silk where long sleeves become extensions of the arms, providing an additional expressive dimension. Ms. Kaipa enjoyed Joyful Little Monks for similar reasons.
“That was really fun,” she said.
Reporting by NTD Television and Lillian Chang.
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. Shen Yun Performing Arts Touring Company will perform at the Kennedy Center Opera House, Washington, D.C., from March 21 to April 1.
For more information, please visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.
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