ESCONDIDO, Calif.—Andreas D. Rond, an actor, attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at the California Center for the Arts on February 26—and was very impressed.
“I loved the show. I thought it was incredible,” said Mr. Rond.
Shen Yun is bringing back to life China’s 5,000-year-old culture, telling stories through music and dance. The dance form is classical Chinese dance, which has itself been developed over thousands of years.
“The dancers, the amount of grace and athleticism that they exhibited was exquisite,” he said.
Some of the dances with all men struck Mr. Rond.
“I really was fond of the two male ensemble dances, one with the drums and the other with the Mongolian chopsticks [Mongolian Chopsticks], he said. “I really loved those. It seems excellent. I’m glad I got a chance to see it.”
Because of the age of classical Chinese dance, it has had an impact on other dance forms throughout the years, which most people aren’t aware of.
“I was shocked that there’s so many what I consider classic Western elements. I didn’t realize how similar they were, classical Chinese dancing and classical Western dancing,” said Mr. Rond. “I grew up with ballet … so I was unaware that they were so similarly linked, and that a lot of it was derived from classical Chinese dancing. That was a nice thing to see, it was impressive.”
The other primary part of Shen Yun is music. As the website explains, “The Shen Yun Orchestra combines the spirit, beauty, and distinctiveness of Chinese music with the precision, power, and grandeur of the Western symphony orchestra. The result—two great traditions producing one refreshing sound.”
In addition to the orchestra supporting the dance pieces, there are solo musical performances. One of these uses the erhu, a two-stringed bowed instrument capable of a wide range of expression.
“I loved the music, absolutely,” said Mr. Rond. “The solo with the [erhu], that was … therapeutic, like medicine. It was beautiful.”
Reporting by Jane Lin and Ben Bendig
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit Shen Yun Performing Arts.
The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time. We have proudly covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
