SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun the ‘Most amazing experience,’ Says Ballerina and Artistic Director

Mar 12, 2014
SHARE
Shen Yun the  ‘Most amazing experience,’ Says Ballerina and Artistic Director
Elizabeth Huebner enjoyed Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, on March 11. (Courtesy of NTD Television)

COSTA MESA, Calif.—Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company opened to a full house at Segerstrom Center for the Arts on March 11, the first of 17 performances in the Greater Los Angeles and Santa Barbara area.

Artistic director and co-founder of the Tustin, Calif.-based Classical Dance Center, Elizabeth Huebner, was in the audience.

In an interview during the intermission, Ms. Huebner said Shen Yun “was the most amazing experience so far,” adding that she can’t wait for the second half to start.

Ms. Huebner has danced professionally with a number of reputable dance companies including the Joffrey Ballet and the Joffrey II Dancers based in New York City. She has also taught at different institutes including the Portland Ballet School and the Ballet Conservatory, and has been a faculty member at the University of California, Irvine.

As a professional dancer and dance instructor, Ms. Huebner was very impressed with the Chinese classical dance presented by Shen Yun.

“Just being a dancer and seeing the precision, and how beautifully so many people are together at the same time in their steps and their heads and their arms is so amazing,” Ms. Huebner said.

“I can see the discipline that it takes to do this, to be together, so many dancers in unison at the same time, and their heads together. I can see all the hard works that they put into it; definitely, it’s beautiful.”

According to the Shen Yun website “Chinese dance is at the heart of what Shen Yun does. Known for its incredible flips and spins, and its gentle elegance, it is one of the most rigorous and expressive art forms in the world...

“Classical Chinese dance has its own set of training methods in basic skills and has strict training in both physical expression and specific postures. It also involves learning combinations of leaps, turns, flips, spins, and other aerial and tumbling techniques. It is a vast and independent system of dance.”

Ms. Huebner said the techniques of Shen Yun dancers are “just so beautiful.”

“It’ s just such a breath of fresh air to see that,” she said.

Shen Yun tours with an orchestra that combines classical Western instruments and traditional Chinese instruments, playing original scores to accompany the dance performances, creating a unique sound.

“Once they played, it just really made it so magical and so special. You don’t see live orchestra like that very often. And it really made the performance, it’s really magical,” Ms. Huebner said.

Another unique aspect of Shen Yun is the state-of-the-art digital backdrop that interacts with the dancers to create a full theatrical effect.

Ms. Huebner said, “Oh the backdrop, it’s amazing. The colors are so vibrant, and just the match, with every costume.

“It really makes that special extra touch for each piece … I like the animation … it’s so amazing how it fits in with them jumping into the backdrop,” she added referring to effects such as when dancers jump out of the stage and reappear on the backdrop.

Ms. Huebner said she wanted to share her enjoyment with others, saying “Everyone should come see this show. I think it’s just so lovely for all ages … we need to bring our kids to see this.”

She added, “it’s worth watching again and again. Can’t wait to come again and bring someone with me. It was beautiful.”

Reporting by NTD Television and Leigh Smith

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