Shen Yun: Award-Winning Musician Says ‘I love the music’

Musician Nathan Pellerin: “It was really fun and I enjoyed watching the orchestra play down in the pit. I especially like the percussion. There was a lot of interaction between the percussion players and the dancers on the stage.”
Shen Yun: Award-Winning Musician Says ‘I love the music’
Nathan Pellerin, award-winning musician, after watching Shen Yun Performing Arts at Popjoy Hall in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on March 5. 2013. (Fany Qiu/The Epoch Times)
3/6/2013
Updated:
10/1/2015

Musician Nathan Pellerin was struck by the beauty and creativity of Shen Yun by the very first piece.

<a><img class="wp-image-1769450" title="1303060607292329--ss1" src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/09/1303060607292329-ss1.jpg" alt="Nathan Pellerin, award-winning musician, after watching Shen Yun" width="318" height="271"/></a>
Nathan Pellerin, award-winning musician, after watching Shen Yun

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.—Award-winning musician Nathan Pellerin attended Shen Yun Performing Arts International Company’s debut performance at Albuquerque’s Popejoy Hall on Tuesday, March 5.

“I loved the music,” said Mr. Pellerin, an innovative songwriter, producer, mixer, and engineer.

Shen Yun consists of several dance pieces, all set to original music played by the Shen Yun Performing Arts Orchestra, which uses both Eastern and Western instruments to create a signature sound.

“It was really fun and I enjoyed watching the orchestra play down in the pit. I especially like the percussion. There was a lot of interaction between the percussion players and the dancers on the stage.”

Mr. Pellerin plays multiple instruments, including the guitar, bass and trumpet.

But he enjoyed more than just the music.

“It was fun,” he said. “I had no idea what to expect. I’ve never been to a Chinese dance performance.”

The dance used by Shen Yun is classical Chinese dance, an art form that has developed over thousands of years within China’s ancient culture. Additionally, there are a number of ethnic folk dances from some of China’s numerous ethnic minorities.

“The dancing was graceful and beautiful,” he said.

One particular aspect of the show that especially made an impression on Mr. Pellerin was the introduction to Shen Yun’s performance. “Outstanding, the smoke on the stage and the costumes, and the movie screen where you go through time and space,” he said, referring to the animated digital backdrop.

The Shen Yun website describes the costumes: “Every costume in a Shen Yun performance is presented with brilliant colors, displaying a splendid spectacle—from the Tang Dynasty’s ‘Raiment of Rainbows and Feathers’ to imperial dragon robes, phoenix coronets, and cloud capes, from the civil official’s headdress and robes to the warrior’s helmet and armor, and from the traditional rightward cross-collared Han clothing to the ethnic attire of the Manchurian, Tibetan, Dai, Mongol, and Uyghur ethnic groups.”

“I really liked the costumes, they’re colorful,” said the musician.

Shen Yun Performing Arts is on its global tour reaching over 100 cities and 20 countries on its mission to revitalize China’s rich culture through the universal language of the performing arts.

Reporting by Fany Qiu and Maria Banks

New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. Shen Yun Performing Arts International Company is performing at Popejoy Hall in Albuquerque, New Mexico, March 5–6, and the Orpheum Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona, March 10, and Las Vegas, Nevada, at Reynolds Hall, in the Smith Center for the Performing Arts, March 15–17. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.

The Epoch Times is the proud sponsor of Shen Yun. The Epoch Times publishes in 35 countries and in 21 languages. Subscribe to our e-newsletter.