NEW YORK—Shen Yun Performing Arts opened its seven-run show at New York’s Radio City Music Hall the afternoon of Feb. 13, just one day before both Chinese Lunar New Year and Valentine’s Day.
The company was welcomed back to Radio City for its fourth straight year, with a lot of enthusiasm from audience members. Ms. Lambrect, an art gallery vice president, gave the show high praise.
“I thought it was extremely artistic. The colors and the costumes were just absolutely exceptional,” she said.
Ms. Lambrect, who has studied dance in her past, was especially taken in by the uniqueness of Classical Chinese dance, which is one of the most comprehensive dance systems in the world.
“I’ve taken ballet, jazz, and tap—and I do yoga currently—and I can’t believe the movements. I was very intrigued by the way that the people were able to do so much with so many different types of movements,” she said.
Ms. Lambrect said the show made her feel like going back to dancing. “I haven’t been dancing in a long time, and I think I want to do a little bit of dancing,” she said with a warm laugh.
Shen Yun presents a variety of types of dances, from traditional ethnic minority folk dances, to morality tales from Chinese legends, to more serious scenes from a troubled modern China.
Two of the scenes, in particular, show the heavy hand of state persecution in China today, against those who hold to strong convictions. Ms. Lambrect commented that this message—conveyed through dance—was very well received.
“It’s an important feature of the program, and it really hit home. My heartfelt feelings are that [Shen Yun performers] continue to bring this out so that the public becomes more and more aware of what’s going on. I thought the performance was well received by everyone around me. I would come again. I really enjoyed it,” she said.
“The dance alone is worth seeing, but the other messages that are being perceived during the performance—the singing messages, and the costumes—it should be seen, particularly if you’ve never seen this art form before,” said Ms. Lambrect.
The show has made her want to become more aware of what’s going on in terms of understanding, [the] “strife and the conditions in China—I know a little bit about it—but I want to learn more. Everyone should see it because of that message,” she said.
With additional reporting by NTDTV.
Shen Yun Performing Arts Touring Company opened its first show of the Chinese Lunar New Year at Radio City Music Hall in New York.
Shen Yun will perform at Radio City Music Hall in New York the weekends of Feb. 13-14 and Feb. 20-21.
For more information, please visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
