COSTA MESA, Calif.—Lyn Acres and Phyllis Heflin highly enjoyed the performance presented by Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts on Saturday.
Lyn Acres, who was a sculptor and also worked with Radio Free Europe in Munich, Germany, at one time, said she is looking forward to sharing the experience she had watching Shen Yun with her family.
“It was very colorful and really lovely as far as music and dance; it was really great; wonderful experience,” said Ms. Acres.
Based in New York, Shen Yun features classical Chinese dance and music, and aims to revive China’s divinely inspired culture through its performances staged around the globe.
Ms. Heflin, who has held executive positions with a number of organizations including being a board member of a hospital and president of Christians Women Club, praised the skills and talent of Shen Yun artists.
“They were very talented, and the colors, the colors were just fantastic, the costumes, the music, and I thought that the commentators were excellent,” she said, referring to the emcees who provided background and context in both English and Mandarin before each scene.
Shen Yun features hundreds of hand-made colorful costumes, and uses a state-of-the art animated digital backdrop that creates stunningly beautiful settings for the dance on stage. The company also features a live orchestra that combines classical Western instruments with traditional Chinese instruments, creating a unique sound.
“I think the stage presentation was excellent,” said Ms. Acres. “I mean, I admired the scenery, it all kind of went together with the dancers. It was all very well staged.”
Drawing from her own Christian background, Ms. Heflin said she could see many themes relating to the divine in the Shen Yun performance.
“My main thing was saving the lost sheep. That’s a big thing with us … and the creator coming back … and coming from heaven. I could relate to—I could see a lot of that, very good,” she said.
According to the Shen Yun website, “Sophisticated dance techniques, an orchestra joining instruments from both the East and West, beautiful costumes, and a stunning back drop—this is Shen Yun at first glance.
“But digging deeper, one discovers a sea of traditional Chinese culture. Mortals and divine beings merge on stage as one. Principles such as benevolence and justice, propriety and wisdom, respect for the heavens, and divine retribution, all come to life, washing over the audience. Originating from Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, these ideals are the essence of traditional Chinese culture.”
Shen Yun, Ms. Acres said, is very elegant and the dancers are very skillful in their performance.
“Very impressed,” she said.
Ms. Heflin concurred.
“[The dancers] were very gifted,” she said. “Their knowledge of the dance, it was just incredible.”
Reporting by Albert Roman
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
