PORTLAND, Ore.—Christophe Adrien, historical fiction author, was pleasantly surprised by Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Keller Auditorium on Jan. 21.
“It’s definitely not what I expected … in a very good way,” he said.
“It’s fantastic … it’s a lot of fun,” he added, “it has a little bit of everything … we had some funny moments, some very intense moments—there’s even opera singing!”
As an author, Mr. Adrien was compelled by Shen Yun’s revival of traditional culture through the use of narrative dance stories.
“The things about stories are there’s a short narrative that we all follow, that we all identify with,” he said, “so it’s very important, I think, for people to have a strong sense of place in the world, to carry traditions forward.”
Shen Yun’s mission is to revive China’s 5,000-year-old traditional culture and they say that their performances demonstrate “China before communism.”
‘Feel the Power and the Heart’
Andrea Sexton, safety coordinator for the City of Portland as well as a dance teacher and choreographer, was also wowed by Shen Yun at the matinee performance on Jan. 21.“I think it’s fantastic,” she said, “It’s more than I thought it would be … it’s better!”
In regards to the dancing and choreography, Ms. Sexton said, “It’s impeccable, gorgeous to watch!”
Even from the back of the auditorium, Ms. Sexton said she could feel the energy radiating off the stage.
“The energy comes from right here,” she said motioning to her heart, “and it feeds out … they make me feel the power and the heart.”
“I’m just enamored with the whole performance … it makes me happy.”
