MINNEAPOLIS—Brothers, Chuck and Daniel Madsen, were delighted to catch up with their nephew, Jared Madsen, who is one of two Masters of Ceremonies for the Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company. The convergence point was Minneapolis’s Orpheum Theatre for an evening performance of Shen Yun on Feb. 23. The brothers clearly enjoyed the performance and being together to share it.
Shen Yun’s mission is to bring to life and to the world true, traditional, divinely inspired culture through the traditional arts which were passed down from the Chinese dynasties and different areas.
Their nephew’s role in the performance is to provide English translation of often humorous, short introductions to the next dance, the music, or solo vocalists. He performs alongside a female emcee who provides narration in Chinese and English.
“I’m loving this. This is really good,” said Chuck at intermission. “We finally got to meet up with him and actually get to see the show. I’m very impressed with Shen Yun. It’s been very interesting.”
Chuck is a study coordinator at the renowned Mayo Clinic, conducting research in nephrology, typically polycystic kidney disease. His brother, Daniel, is a security architect for a leading bank.
Daniel spoke about the performance at intermission with his brother: “I love the color. I think it’s great, all the different colors. The costumes they have are oranges and pinks and blues and greens and yellows, but it all works.”
He also talked about the dancing: “The other thing that struck me is they’re like ducks on the pond; they seem to be floating, but they’re feet are [moving he illustrates with hand motions] … like tiny steps. It’s just so smooth … they’re working hard to make it look like they’re floating. It’s just great.”
Chuck was also impressed with the dancers’ abilities and he said, “Well, the same with any dancers. I am just always impressed with the physicality of it and how hard they must work here.”
He also reflected on what he was learning from the performance about the variety of dances that reflect the vast Chinese culture and expanse of China and its people. “Between, say, the Mongolian and Tibetan dances … how many different parts there are. Kind of like this country, with all the different immigrants and all the different parts that we all bring.”
China has more than 20 dynasties, and more than 50 ethnic groups to draw upon for the performance.
The brothers return to their impressions of the dancers’ movements. “At least for the dancing … I don’t quite have the words for it, but they don’t stop. It’s very smooth and continuous; there are not a lot of hard stops. [It’s] flowing—I guess would be the word to use.
Shen Yun Performing Arts Orchestra has a unique way of combining two great musical traditions—using Western and Chinese instruments. Chuck enjoyed the effect: “Oh, absolutely, absolutely!”
Another trademark of the performance is the use of digital projections to create interactive backdrops where the animation on the screen comes alive on the stage and vice versa. “It took me by surprise, but I think they used it really, really well. ”When the figures come in and then the dancer comes up, I really like that,” Daniel said.
His brother agreed: “When those dancers jumped off [the stage], and then all of a sudden you saw them on that back screen—that was what caught me by surprise.”
“It’s a good use of the media [with the backdrops]. It’s not just colors and flashy; it’s really incorporated into the dance,” said Chuck.
“I’ve always been impressed by the Chinese culture; it’s complex,” said Daniel. “I wish I knew more about some of the movements and what they meant.”
His wish may come true with the emcees’ narrations by his nephew and colleague during the second half of the Shen Yun performance.
Reporting by Valerie Avore and Cat Rooney.
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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