SANTA BARBARA, Calif.—Shen Yun Performing Arts took to the stage at The Granada Theatre on Sunday, March 30, for the last day of the non-profit organization’s tour in Southern California.
Herb Tews, retired owner of Midwest Sintered Products, a metal powder parts manufacturer in Chicago, was in attendance. Mr. Tews has remained involved in the community, serving as vice chairman of the Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation, serving on the board of Cottage Hospital Auxiliary Volunteers, and joining the Westmont Foundation Board of Directors.
“I think it’s outstanding,” said Mr. Tews of Shen Yun. “I’m enjoying it tremendously. My wife and I really get a lot of pleasure out of this show.”
Shen Yun Performing Arts was founded in 2006 in New York by a group of leading Chinese artists dedicated to reviving the true, divinely inspired culture of China through the universal language of music and dance, according to the company’s website.
A Shen Yun performance features classical Chinese dance, accompanied by live orchestra with both Eastern and Western instruments, and includes lively folk dances, musical soloists, ethereal costumes, and dazzling digital backdrops that whisk the audience into stories of ancient legends, heavenly realms and modern heroic tales.
Herb Tews enjoyed many facets of Shen Yun, including the colorful animated backdrops that interacted with the performers on stage.
“The costuming, the conditioning, the dancing, and the integration of three-dimensional live figures with the two-dimensional really adds a tremendous amount of impact,” he said.
“I love it. It’s terrific,” he added of the music.
Mr. Tews thought it was wonderful and very important for Americans to gain some insight into Chinese history, and Shen Yun was providing that for the residents of Santa Barbara. He said the city was fortunate the performing arts organization had chosen to come there, and he hoped Shen Yun would return.
“I think they’ve taken it to a whole other level and introduced Americans to some of the colloquial history of China, which I think is outstanding and necessary,” he said.
Mr. Tews said he would probably be back next year, particularly since each year the company puts on an entirely new production. He highly recommended the show to others.
“I would say it’s a must-see show,” he said. “I really do.”
Reporting by NTD Television and Sarah Le
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
