WASHINGTON—The ancient and classical culture of China was on display Jan. 31 for Shen Yun’s performance at the Kennedy Center. Ms. Diana Coho, who does outreach for Asian-American seniors, said she enjoyed the colors, the design, and the movement.
Ms. Coho said she thought Shen Yun was “beautiful, absolutely stunning.” She said she sensed in the performance a desire to reconnect with cultural roots that extend back thousands of years and to traditions that are sacred and ancient.
These aspects of the ancient culture were brought to life with the help of modern technology.
Shen Yun uses an animated backdrop that employs state-of-the-art design technology, according to the group’s site. With the help of the backdrop, the dancers appear to soar off the stage. Ms. Coho said she enjoyed the interplay of earth with the heavenly realms above that came to life through the backdrop thought it was done beautifully.
Ms. Coho said she felt the performance brought ancient values and symbols to life with modern technology, as well as the contemporary reality of China.
Shen Yun is a “beautiful cross-section of a lot of different periods and a lot of different locations,” according to Ms. Coho. She said it was extraordinary how much of the different customs, traditions, and scenery of such a big nation were on display. She said she was exposed to a lot of aspects of the culture she was unfamiliar with and felt she had a lot more to learn.
The female dancers were modest, and not flashy, and displayed dignity and grace, in Ms. Coho’s opinion. Overall she said she thought the message of the show was positive and universal, “wishing everyone peace and love and joy.”
Ms. Coho said she was impressed with training and hard work she sensed had been put into the performance, “Really well done, but everyone’s having a good time at the same time.”
Reporting by NTD Television and Nicholas Zifcak.
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
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