SACRAMENTO—Fashion designer Angela Carmazzi was quite impressed by the hundreds of colorful hand-made costumes in Shen Yun Performing Arts.
“I love the costumes, they’re absolutely beautiful,” said Angela, who went to see Shen Yun at the Sacramento Community Center Theater with her mother-in-law, Muraline Carmazzi, on Jan. 14.
Based in New York, Shen Yun presents classical Chinese arts and music. The company’s performances feature a number of elements, such as the costumes, that make Shen Yun unique.
According to the Shen Yun website, “Shen Yun’s costume artists collect countless designs of traditional attire, ranging from those of emperors, ministers, and generals to the everyday clothing of the common people. They use bright colors to tailor and recreate hundreds of new pieces each season. Every detail is given meticulous attention and is a result of artistic inspiration and careful polishing.”
“I love the colors, the combination. I love the hair, the way they’ve pinned it up. The way [the dancers] slide effortlessly, it seems like they’re floating. And the synchronization is perfectly done,” Angela said.
She also commended the dancers’ performing the physically-demanding flips and jumps of classical Chinese dance with ease.
“I’m looking at each and every one of them; they’re all smiling, and their makeup is beautiful. They seem to have so much fun doing it.”
Ms. Carmazzi’s mother-in-law also enjoyed the performance.
“Beautiful, beautiful!” the elder Ms. Carmazzi said. “And they’re so in touch with what’s going on, on the stage. Their timing is wonderful!”
‘Breathtaking’
Mary Ann Kelly, who works for a local trade association, also attended the evening performance.
“It was breathtaking, it was beautiful,” she said. “Spectacular!”
“The combination of all of the artistry,” she said, “whether it was the performance music, or the vocal music interwoven with the dance, the costuming—and then the whole scenery in itself was magnificent and breathtaking, in the way the scenery became an active part of the show.”
She was referring to Shen Yun’s use of animated backdrops and the interaction of the backdrops with the dances.
Besides the spectacular dance performances, beautiful scenes created by the backdrops, costumes, and the live soothing music, Ms. Kelly said there was something deeper in the performance that she needs more time to comprehend.
The Shen Yun website also mentions this: “Sophisticated dance techniques, an orchestra joining instruments from both the East and West, beautiful costumes, and a stunning back drop—this is Shen Yun at first glance.
“But digging deeper, one discovers a sea of traditional Chinese culture. Mortals and divine beings merge on stage as one. Principles such as benevolence and justice, propriety and wisdom, respect for the heavens, and divine retribution, all come to life, washing over the audience.”
As Ms. Kelly was leaving the seating area, she pondered it further.
“We left there and saw a woman that was still sitting there, and you could tell that she understood more of the experience, and was just still sitting in the theater trying to take it all in. And that is what kind of makes you realize that there was more to get than what you initially see on a first taking,” Ms. Kelly said.
Reporting by Jennifer Liang, NTD Television, and Omid Ghoreishi
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.
Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time. We have proudly covered audience reaction since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
