ATLANTA—Matt and Colette Castleberry saw Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Cobb Energy Centre in Atlanta, Dec. 27. “The orchestra was wonderful,” said Ms. Castleberry, a research chemist and former dancer. “Fantastic. The compositions were excellent.”
Shen Yun’s music includes an orchestra that incorporates the delicate sounds of Eastern music with the power and precision of a Western orchestra.
“I like the way that they composed the East meets West combination,” said Ms. Castleberry, who was a ballerina until she was 18 years old. “It really highlighted the blending of all cultures, I thought, because you had a lot of the European instruments. But the way that they married with the ancient Chinese instruments really highlighted some of the differences—but also some of the similarities.”
Mr. Castleberry agreed. “I would have to say the orchestra was fantastic. The composition was excellent. I loved the way that the composers were able to put everything together,” he said. “It was aesthetically pleasing.”
“Through the universal language of music and dance, Shen Yun weaves a wondrous tapestry of heavenly realms, ancient legends, and modern heroic tales, taking you on a journey through 5,000 years of Chinese culture,” reads the Shen Yun website.
“I liked the way that each story was presented. So you had the brief description ahead of time so you knew what was going on, because not everyone knows,” Ms. Castleberry said. As a former dancer, she was touched by the perfection exuded by Shen Yun’s classically trained dancers.
“Obviously, it was aesthetically pleasing,” she said. “But when you took a closer look at the technique of the individual dancers—the way their hands were placed, the way their toes were placed—that really showed that these were not just a bunch of Chinese dancers, these were classically trained dancers.”
“The technique was spot on,” she added. “It was excellent.”
Each Shen Yun performance seeks to revive China’s 5,000 years of divine culture, through which its stunning beauty and tremendous energy leaves audiences uplifted and inspired.
As well as dance and music, Shen Yun also incorporates a state-of-the-art digital backdrop that extends the stage and transports its audiences to a world where heaven and earth are one.
“I thought it enhanced the performance, Mr. Castleberry said. ”Because you saw what each character was supposed to represent going back and forth.”
“It was balanced,” he concluded. “But it enhanced the storyline without overpowering the dance, which was brilliant.”
Reporting by Roland Ree and Michael Fitzgerald
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.
