DALLAS—The Winspear Opera House audience left the theater inspired by 5,000 years of Chinese civilization with Shen Yun Performing Arts’ first performance of the 2012 tour, on Dec. 16.
Among them was the vice president of the sales and business division of a large company, Mr. Krupka, intrigued by the unique presentation of classical Chinese dance and music.
“It was calming, and yet you felt drawn to it. You really felt like you became part of the music and the dance,” he said.
The New York-based company was introduced to him by his neighbor, Mr. Peterson, a retired fire chief who had heard about Shen Yun coming to Dallas at a Rotary Club meeting.
“It’s kind of hard to describe. It’s something I’ve never experienced before and I found it very intriguing. I didn’t know that much about Chinese heritage and I think it certainly opened up my perspective to the history of the Chinese people,” Mr. Peterson said.
Mr. Krupka agreed. “It was amazing. The choreography was just phenomenal. The colors were fantastic and the music was just excellent. It just really brought it to life, which was amazing.”
Shen Yun dances are accompanied by an animated, digital backdrop that transports the audience to celestial settings, ancient structures, and the vibrant scenery of various regions of China.
“You really just wanted to know what they were going to do next. The concept of the gymnastics that came from that was evident because they were just flexible and the movement which is a flip, so you really felt very compelled to just watch,” Mr. Krupka said.
Shen Yun features classical Chinese dance as well as folk and ethnic dances. Acrobatics and gymnastics are often thought to be similar to the tumbling and flipping techniques of classical Chinese dance, but in fact originate from it.
The performances this year has a storyline of good is rewarded and evil punished carried from ancient to modern-day China, which Mr. Krupka found compelling.
“The political nuances blended in with the historical, was a nice balance. It gave us a lot of the heritage in the background, along with the strife and the concerns of the government now,” Mr. Krupka said.
Shen Yun will perform at Winspear Opera House through Sunday, Dec. 18. For more information visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
Friends Read Free