OMAHA, Neb.—“We love it. It’s beautiful,” said banking attorney Bryan Handlos and Rhonda Cole after seeing Shen Yun Performing Arts Touring Company at the Orpheum Theater, on March 8.
Mr. Handlos is a partner at Kutak Rock LLP. He and Ms. Cole attended the Saturday evening performance, the first of two Shen Yun would be delivering in Omaha this season.
Shen Yun has four touring companies that tour the globe simultaneously, captivating theatergoers in 20 countries and over 100 cities.
Ms. Cole said, “It’s beautiful, it’s entertaining, it’s really well done. I like how the video interacts with the people. They’ve done that really well.”
Shen Yun’s mission is to revitalize traditional Chinese culture through the performing arts. While classical Chinese dance is at the core of its program, it also showcases elegant handmade costuming.
“The costumes were beautiful,” said Ms. Cole.
Shen Yun also features digital interactive backdrops and a full-orchestra featuring both Eastern and Western Instrumentation, as well as several vocal soloists.
Mr. Handlos explained he had little knowledge of traditional Chinese culture prior to the show. “You know, I guess I didn’t realize the people were keeping alive the spiritual side of the culture so much. I mean, I knew that was back then, but I guess I didn’t think about it in modern terms,” he said.
Shen Yun’s program consists of 20 or so songs and mini-dramas that depict scenes from China’s history, mythology, folklore, and literature. Bilingual English-Mandarin emcees offer a brief introduction before each piece.
“The explanations before each piece is good. The history is nice,” Mr. Handlos commented.
“We see quite a lot of shows and this is quite unlike any show we’ve seen recently. It’s very interesting,” the attorney said.
Reporting by Xiao Chen and Andrew Darin
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit Shen Yun Performing Arts.
The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time. We have proudly covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
