COSTA MESA, Calif.—Shen Yun’s opening night in Orange County’s Segerstrom Center for the Arts was welcomed by the first of the four sold out crowds in Southern California.
Summer Hanson, the founder and director of the non profit Children’s Day USA, spoke of what she thought of the internal meaning of the performance, which “expresses love and gentleness and faith, and all good things, and the triumph of good over negative, hurtful things. It’s like a vision of love and goodness on earth.”
Ms. Hanson has been recognized many times with awards, resolutions and proclamations praising her work. The California legislature established a Children’s Day in her honor.
She said the experience she had seeing Shen Yun New York Company resonated with her own philosophy: “We should all follow a path of love and goodness and practicing things that are going to bring more kindness and understanding and faith and beauty and preservation of our environment and all things uplifting. Why focus on the negative? Let’s focus on creating more positive things in our world today and for future generations.”
Dale Whitney, a retired Presbyterian minister who saw Shen Yun with Ms. Hanson, said he was particularly impressed with the blend of Eastern and Western instruments, a unique feature of the orchestra. He said, “I liked it very much. The music was wonderful. I like some of those Chinese instruments that were played.”
He spoke humbly about his own knowledge. He said, “I’m not very much a student of Chinese history, but I liked the dancing.” As audience members often do, he praised the color, the music and the choreography. He said “I don’t know how they did that without one person getting out of step. I was really impressed. They really worked hard on this, and it was a good night’s entertainment. An education.”
Ms. Hanson summed up her feelings when she said, “It was utterly charming. Delightful and full of love, uplifting.”
Reporting by NTD and Albert Roman.
Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company will have one more performance in Costa Mesa and then in Los Angeles through to Jan. 14.
For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.
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[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3WTKCEA4tE[/video]
