SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

‘Spectacular’ Says Professional Pianist

Jan 25, 2015

HOLLYWOOD, Calif.—“It’s fantastic,” said professional pianist and teacher Ms. Svetlana Tokar, after seeing Shen Yun.

Ms. Tokar, joined by her young granddaughter, attended the Jan. 24 matinee performance of the Shen Yun Performing Arts World Company at the Dolby Theatre.

“Being a professional musician, a person from this profession, from this field, I am absolutely taking a bow to all the hard working people and I’m saluting to the Chinese people,” added Ms. Tokar, a classically trained pianist who was a participant of Tchaikovsky International Moscow Competition in 1994.

“Every dance is spectacular,” beamed Ms. Tokar.

“I appreciate the professionalism, the dedication, the beautiful costumes, the hard work behind that and it’s striking,” she said.

According to the Shen Yun website, “Every costume in a Shen Yun performance is presented with brilliant colors, displaying a splendid spectacle—from the Tang Dynasty’s ‘Raiment of Rainbows and Feathers’ to imperial dragon robes, phoenix coronets, and cloud capes; from the civil official’s headdress and robes to the warrior’s helmet and armor; and from the traditional rightward cross-collared Han clothing to the ethnic attire of the Manchurian, Tibetan, Dai, Mongol, and Uyghur ethnic groups.”

Ms. Tokar explained that she purchased her tickets a long time ago. “This was the first time, I’ve been waiting for this!” she said.

“I’m here with my granddaughter and it’s her first time. She’s four and a half and she doesn’t want to go home. I asked her if she wants to and she said ‘no no.’ She loves the show,” said Ms. Tokar.

Ms. Tokar and her granddaughter appreciated learning about China’s 5,000 years of authentic and majestic culture through dance, music, and mythology saying, “Thank you for the history of China, we’ve discovered a lot of things that we’ve never learned before.”

“We would love to come again and every year,” Ms. Tokar concluded, “This is something different because this is spectacular.

Shen Yun Is Glorious Says Hollywood Talent Manager

Gina Rugolo and her son, Will Judd, came to see the Shen Yun Performing Arts World Company’s performance in celebration of her birthday at the Dolby Theatre on Saturday afternoon, Jan. 24.

Ms. Rugolo runs her own successful talent management and production company in Beverly Hills, called Rugolo Entertainment. She has also been a successful producer for many years.

“It’s beautiful. It’s my birthday today, and I wanted to celebrate it with my son, and it was just glorious. It’s a wonderful way to celebrate,” she said at the intermission.

New York-based Shen Yun is a nonprofit and independent company, founded in 2006 by a group of overseas Chinese artists with a mission to revive China’s divinely inspired culture, which has been nearly all but lost under the current atheist communist regime.

“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. Its stunning beauty and tremendous energy leave audiences uplifted and inspired,” explains the Shen Yun website.

Ms. Rugolo applauded the Shen Yun performers. “They’re passing down important stories that may be lost, or may not be allowed to be performed inside [China]. So I guess they’re really honoring their legacy, and they have to put that out there, and educate a whole new generation of people,” she said.

Ms. Rugolo was delighted with all aspects of the performance. “The costumes are extraordinary,” she said. “The traditional dance, and the live orchestra, just the overall experience put together, it’s a real celebration and very educational as well.”

Ms. Rugolo’s son, Will Judd, who is 10 years old, was also impressed by the performance. “It was absolutely amazing,” he said. “I have never seen anything like it.”

He was also surprised to learn about the lack of freedom of belief in China. “It was very educational, too. The educational part of it was very interesting because I never would have thought that meditation wasn’t allowed in China if I haven’t seen this show,” he said. “It was very amazing.”

He was referring to The Power of Compassion a contemporary dance showing the bravery and courage of practitioners of Falun Dafa, a peaceful, spiritual mind-body discipline, who are being persecuted in China today.

Falun Dafa is a spiritual meditation practice that is based on following the universal principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance.

Reporting by NTD Television, Marsha Savitz and Thanh Le

New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.

Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time. We have proudly covered audience reaction since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.