WASHINGTON—LaMarr Funn is the designer and owner of Jewels by LaMarr jewelry company. Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Kennedy Center Opera House touched her emotions, she said.
“I was moved to tears, I could not believe how beautiful it was, it was beyond my expectation,” she said. She saw the Shen Yun Touring Company on March 21.
Ms Funn said Shen Yun had opened up a new awareness of what real Chinese culture was about.
“It helped me to really learn about the Chinese culture, how connected they are to God and how they [the artists] just feel so in touch with teaching people about the culture through music and dance and the singing.” According to the program, the name of the company is about “the grace, compassion and sublime beauty of heavenly realms that are shown through the subtlest expressions and gestures of our dancers.”
Shen Yun is dedicated to restoring traditional Chinese culture through the performing arts, according to its website. The company is made up of classical Chinese dancers, top musicians from both the classical Chinese and Western traditions, as well as internationally recognized opera singers.
The singers touched Ms. Funn deeply, particularly soprano Haolan Geng, she said.
“She was singing about how really we are heavenly beings and her voice, it just felt like she was singing from here.
“I thought that that was the most touching … I had to hold back the tears and I couldn’t because of the passion along with the lyrics in the background.” Ms. Geng sang “Speaking of Predestination.”
Ms. Funn said having the lyrics translated into English and projected onto the background made all the difference for her.
“What was really touching was to have the lyrics written in the background. One of them was about … we are all heavenly beings and we are going to return to heaven, and I just thought that was so beautiful and I was just crying and I wanted to jump up on stage.”
Ms. Funn said Shen Yun’s performance made Chinese culture very accessible.
“I felt very related and connected,” she said, “I just couldn’t believe how ethereal it was. You just felt the passion of the dancers and even the narrators, from beginning to end. It was flawless.”
The designer said she now had a different perspective on Chinese people and was curious to learn more about them after seeing Shen Yun.
“It really makes me want to learn and study more about the Chinese culture as well as share that others should get involved and how beautiful a people that the Chinese people are.”
Ms. Funn said she would tell others about Shen Yun and hoped to return to see another performance before the series in Washington ends.
“I just think that everyone should see it. It’s a beautiful show. ”I am very grateful, very grateful.”
Reporting by NTD Television and Lillian Chang
Shen Yun Performing Arts, based in New York, tours the world on a mission to revive traditional Chinese culture. Shen Yun Performing Arts Touring Company will perform at The Kennedy Center Opera House, Washington, D.C., through April 1.
For more information visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
