DALLAS—“It’s phenomenal,” said Julia Coleman after seeing Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Winspear Opera House accompanied by Gerry Keifer on Jan. 10.
“The dance is remarkable,” Ms. Coleman said. “It’s exciting!”
Mr. Keifer added, “It’s been excellent. The sets are fabulous.”
Based in New York, Shen Yun presents classical Chinese dance and music. Shen Yun performances feature classical Chinese dance, presented mostly as mini-drama pieces carrying a storyline, as well as ethnic and folk dances, along with musical performances.
The hundreds of handmade costumes of original design and breathtaking colors add an extra dimension to the Shen Yun performances, leaving the audience enthralled.
“The grace, the costumes, the subtle movements that they used to control their costumes—it’s very, very, very nice,” said Mr. Keifer, a geologist.
“The dance that they used the long sleeves…that was just amazing how they could control all of that energy within that silk,” added Ms. Coleman.
State-of-the-art animated backdrops that are synchronized with the dances and interact with the dances on stage were quite impressive, Mr. Keifer added.
“The background, the screen, and the way it is choreographed in sync with the dancers on stage when they change positions…that was quite exciting and quite different and very good use of virtual reality and reality and blending the two,” he said.
For Mr. Keifer, Shen Yun was both a cultural as well as an artistic experience.
“Very educational, beautiful, well choreographed, excellent music; a nice cultural exchange. Very, very nice,” he said.
“It was an experience everyone should have.”
Ms. Coleman said she felt fortunate to see and experience Shen Yun.
‘Very impressive’
Donald Brasher, a regional sales manager for a large company, was very impressed with Shen Yun.
“Very impressive dancing, and the costumes are beautiful,” he said. “The music is fascinating.”
Shen Yun tours with a unique orchestra that combines traditional Chinese instruments with classical Western instruments. The orchestra performs original scores that accompany the dance performances.
“The different instruments that are being used to complement the traditional instruments that we’re normally used to—incorporating those things... it’s pretty interesting for me,” he said, referring to the use of traditional Chinese instruments such as the two-stringed erhu and the pipa in the Shen Yun Orchestra.
Mr. Brasher said he had an appreciation for dance as he has been to many dance recitals to see his granddaughter. He said the Shen Yun dancing “is beautifully done.”
He also appreciated the backdrops. “The graphics in the background has been very good,” he said.
He felt everyone needs to see Shen Yun.
“It’s a show that is beautifully done, its costumes are beautiful, the music is great, and the facial expressions on the people... they’re having fun doing it. It’s good, it’s a great show.”
Reporting by Rich Rangel, June Fakkert and Leigh Smith.
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.
