AUCKLAND, New Zealand—Mr. Clements, a college vice-principal, commended Shen Yun Performing Arts as having a “very polished performance." The educator felt he gained a deeper knowledge of Chinese culture. One of the dances is The Mystical Phoenix, in which female dancers evoke an image of the sacred birds moving around above clouds. Mr. Clements said, "We can understand why the phoenix is so significant."
He saw the first show at Auckland's ASB Theatre on Wednesday, April 15.
He said the show was better than any other he had seen. He described the performance as "very professional and absolutely wonderful.
“A lovely mixture, too, of folk dances—that was superb. The more spiritual aspects to that were all represented," said Mr Clements. Bold Tibetan and Mongolian dances convey welcome and hospitality. One of the female dances uses traditional ethnic striped skirts to convey playfulness and love of music. The very full skirts are yellow, orange, blue, purple, and green silk and play an essential part in the choreography of Dance of the Yi. The Yi people of Southern China are famous for their music and dance. The dancers wear white embroidered head coverings and spin their flowing skirts.
“The costumes—they were absolutely spectacular. We were amazed at the layers of costumes and the very quick changes that … gave us some idea of what goes on.” said Mr Clements. The costumes are hand sewn Shen Yun originals, designed for each year's production.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of the Shen Yun Performing Arts 2009 World Tour. For more information please visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org