PERTH, Australia—A moment of silence fell upon the Regal Theatre as if the audience didn’t want the haunting tones of the erhu, (ancient Chinese two-stringed violin) to end. But soon, the quiet was broken by the resounding applause that followed.
For Perth musician Daniel Wiggins, who was watching the Shen Yun Performing Arts World Company’s performance at the Regal Theatre on Feb. 3, the show had “pizzazz,” he said.
“Visually, it’s quite spectacular with all the colors and what-not. Bedazzled! I’ve been quite overwhelmed.”
English-born Mr. Wiggins who recently cut his soon-to-be-released album, ‘Meditations,’ was accompanied by Amanda Chapman. He felt Shen Yun was so polished it had the ability to touch one’s heart.
Formed in 2006, New York-based Shen Yun has grown to four companies performing simultaneously in more than 100 cities at prestigious theatres around the globe.
Inspired by 5,000 years of China’s divine culture and traditional values, such as compassion, loyalty, kindness and bravery, Shen Yun considers its production as “a divine gift worth keeping and shared,” according to its website.
Mr. Wiggins loved every minute of the performance, especially by the impassioned plea of the soprano who sung Chinese lyrics in the Italian-style bel canto technique.
“The opera piece particularly took me by surprise and really made me well up a bit. It’s quite dynamic and engaging.”
A projection screen behind the vocalist translated the lyrics into English in which Mr. Wiggins found himself totally immersed.
“I found that the immersion and the literary of the vocals performance was what really captivated me,” he said. “Just feeling that transfer of energy, as a musician as well, captured the emotion coming across.”
He was moved that Shen Yun was able to perform in Perth and touch the heart of its people. He said he had sensed “elements of sentimentality” due to the cultural and historical aspects of the production, “almost like a yearning for the greater humanity.”
And, what’s more “people come out in droves to see it.”
Mr. Wiggins’ understanding of Shen Yun’s performance, included the importance of knowing your own culture, yourself, and your place in the world, while living in a multicultural society, he said.
“And to be mindful and respectful of everybody, everywhere while taking into account that at the end of the day, we are all human and we are all part of the same family.
“It really brings those things to the forefront in people’s minds—certainly mine.”
Reporting by NTD Television and Raiatea Tahana-Reese
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.
