HOUSTON—Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company filled Jones Hall with joy Friday evening, Dec. 23, with its third show in Houston.
“I’m speechless, it’s wonderful, wonderful, wonderful,” said Ludmilla Miller, who helps run her family’s oil business.
Ms. Miller, who bought tickets for her church’s priest and his family, and came with a party of eight, said she heard about the show months ago. “I went on the website ... and saw a very short part of dancing, and I thought ‘Well I have to go see it!’”
“The culture, I love it. It’s everything, the dancing, the singing, it’s unbelievable,” Ms. Miller said.
“Very flexible; the dancing and jumping, I love it a lot,” she said. Ms. Miller added that she was impressed to learn that the difficult leaps, flipping, and tumbling techniques are native to classical Chinese dance, which in turn gave rise to gymnastics.
“It’s amazing, amazing. Very flexible, very artistic … It’s relaxing, it’s a miracle.”
Ms. Miller was amazed with the costumes as well, particularly noting the female dancers’ flowing skirts and sleeves. “It’s like air!” she said.
Mrs. Galina Schall, who attended with Ms. Miller, said the performance was perfect. “Very, very good. Very good colors, it’s beautiful. We loved everything, we enjoyed everything.”
Mrs. Schall said she was familiar with traditional Chinese culture and was touched by Shen Yun’s representation.
“I think [the culture has] very good heart, very kind, very good heart. Good heart, good culture,” she said.
The two women added that they were impressed with the New York-based company’s animated digital backdrop, which displays vibrant scenery to accompany the dances.
“Its colors, it’s nice, the show’s very nice, I love it,” Mrs. Schall said. “It’s heaven, it shows heaven. It’s very, very nice.”
“I don’t know how they did it! It’s just a picture, and then some people come out of nowhere—it’s beautiful, beautiful,” Ms. Miller said.
Ms. Miller also praised Shen Yun’s vocalists who sing in a bel canto style with Chinese lyrics. Complimenting both the tenors and the soprano, she said, “I love it, I love it.” Tenor Hong Ming received cheers and calls for an encore near the end of the show, and sang “A Song From My Heart.”
Shen Yun has three companies touring the world. Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company will perform at Houston’s Jones Hall through Tuesday, Dec. 27. For more information visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
