NORTHRIDGE, Calif.—Studio singer Rick Riso recorded for many well-known movie soundtracks such as The Lion King and Shrek 2.
“[Shen Yun] transcended other [shows] that I’d seen before. I just cannot form enough words—[usually] I’m pretty good at communicating,” he exclaimed.
“It was a communication to the soul and spirit. It was inspirational!”
Having been an entertainer for many years, Mr. Riso said he knows what it feels like “when a performance moved you. But [Shen Yun] went beyond the intellectual to the spirit and the soul and the heart.”
“I felt like I had embraced Chinese culture. It was so motivating for me that I want to be an even better person than I had tried to be.”
“For those of us who have been blessed to have been in the profession for a long time, it’s easy to recognize a good effort. This was beyond a good effort,” he expressed.“This was, for me, about as close to perfection [as it gets] in terms of art. The marriage between the orchestra, the dance, and the performance was seamless—absolutely wonderful.”
Only at Shen Yun can you find it performed in its purest form—how it was originally passed down through the generations.
“We were looking and nudging each other silently going ‘wow!’ In all our lives, we had never experienced that kind of musical expression. This person is so much of a virtuoso it’s undeniable. We thought we were in another dimension.”Referring to the spiritual element of Shen Yun, Mr. Riso said he had been a guy of deep-abiding faith for many years. Though the belief portrayed differs from his own, his heart and soul resonated with the same message.
“I do believe that we do not come here by happenstance. We have a Divine Creator, and we carry [his] imprint on our souls and spirits. [In today’s world,] we let a lot of things get in the way. So, to come back to that reminder was fabulous.”
“Bravo. [Shen Yun] hit the highest marks. It was transcendent.”
