MINNEAPOLIS—“I thought the show was very good. I enjoyed the imagery of all the dancing. It seemed a combination of [the] spiritual and just fun,” said Richard Kramp. The retired CEO of Synovis Life Technology attended the Saturday matinee performance of Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company at the Orpheum Theatre, Feb. 23.
“Classical Chinese dance has a long history of thousands of years, passed down continuously within the imperial palace and ancient Chinese theater and opera,” states the Shen Yun website. Each era and dynasty along with its traditional aesthetic principles come alive with Shen Yun.
Mr. Kramp said watching Shen Yun expanded his knowledge of China’s classical culture and history. “I did learn. It’s a fascinating country, and of course and we don’t know much about it.”
Upon hearing that world-renowned Shen Yun is not allowed to enter China, given that it aims to revive 5,000 years of divinely inspired culture, he said, “It’s hard to imagine. It’s unfortunate to think that all of that is being suppressed because it’s so beautiful. I liked it a lot!”
Mr. Kramp elaborated on how the New York-based show touched him, “Spirituality has a place everywhere, and I didn’t realize how spiritual China was. As I grew up I thought it already converted into this very militaristic [society]. It must be hard for people to have that deep origin of 5,000 years and be suppressed for so long.”
He had high praise for the Shen Yun New York Orchestra, a unique blend of classical Chinese and Western instruments, and said that it added an extra layer to his enjoyment, “I thought it was very good. I mean, I couldn’t pull them apart you know, but together it sounded very, very good. I certainly like the Chinese instruments—the erhu,” mentioning one example.
He felt that various aspects of Shen Yun had deeply moved him, and said, “The artistry of it was wonderful! The feeling of a great society. The costumes and the skill—there is a lot of innocence it seems, and youth. It just makes you feel good, I guess, in the sense of that there is that aspect of human nature that you just don’t get to see very often.”
Reporting by Valerie Avore and Jeanmarie Lunsford.
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
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