MILWAUKEE—On Feb. 20, at the Milwaukee Theater, a wish came true. Mark Griffin surprised his sister, Colleen VerBunker, with a family birthday celebration to see Shen Yun Performing Arts Touring Company’s performance at the Milwaukee Theatre.
Ms. VerBunker had wanted to see this premier classical Chinese dance and music company for what seemed like forever. The family celebration was thoroughly enjoyed by all and also proved to be educational and insightful.
It was her 61th birthday. Ms. VerBunker, her brother, and Diane Jenson saw Shen Yun bring to life 5,000 years of Chinese culture through the grandeur of dance and music.
“A Shen Yun performance features the world’s foremost classically trained dancers, a unique orchestra blending East and West, and dazzling animated backdrops,” states the company’s website.
Mr. Griffin’s initial reaction to the performance was that the family loved it: “Oh, my goodness. We really enjoyed it. All of us,” he said.
As a videographer, Mr. Griffin thought Shen Yun did a marvelous job with the visuals. “It’s so beautiful.”
He was particularly impressed with the special effects of state-of-the-art graphics used in the backdrops. The animated settings transported the dance performers to other places and back to the stage seamlessly. “That really impressed me,” he said.
The dance performance that stood out for the birthday girl was “The Lady of the Moon” because she said it was “romantic, beautiful, and I love the moon.”
Mrs. Jenson liked the serpent animation while Mr. Griffin responded that he was impressed with “all of it!”
Considering the broad implications of the performance, Ms. VerBunker said that despite the dark things happening in the world today she now has hope. About the last dance performance,“Hope for the Future,” Ms. VerBunker said, “If every body works with each other and for a good cause, then a lot of things can be accomplished. There is hope for this country. I was very optimistic, but now I feel there is hope,” she stated.
Mr. Griffin’s insight into traditional Chinese culture was that it held the belief in “a higher power that protects, ... and that we come from divine intervention. I strongly feel that way, that I believe in God, that there’s a higher power. So that’s what I took out of it,” he concluded.
Reporting by Stacey Tang and Cat Rooney
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.
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.
