NEW YORK—Shen Yun Performing Arts took the stage at Lincoln Center on Friday evening to a sold out audience, the third in as many days.
“It was excellent,” said Kathleen Bertinato, a broker at Weichert Realtor. “The colors and everything was [what] really impressed me the most. Every color was just so vibrant.”
Classical Chinese dance—both one of the most comprehensive dance forms in the world and difficult to master—is at the heart of Shen Yun performances, alongside ethnic and folk dance and story-based dance, says its website.
A trademark of the New York based Shen Yun is handcrafted costumes. “The way they danced and the costumes, the way they floated was just great,” said Ms. Bertinato. “I really enjoyed it.”
“Shen Yun’s costume artists collect countless designs of traditional attire, ranging from those of emperors, ministers, and generals to the everyday clothing of the common people,” explains Shen Yun’s website. “They use bright colors to tailor and recreate hundreds of new pieces each season. Every detail is given meticulous attention and is a result of artistic inspiration and careful polishing.”
Ms. Bertinato particularly liked the dance How the Monkey King Came To Be, based on the central character of China’s classic novel Journey to the West. The boisterous Monkey ends up in Heaven’s peach orchard and helps himself, setting off a series of events.
“And how he came out of the picture and onto the stage and went back. I was very impressed. The timing was just perfect” she said.
Her companion, business owner Gerald Vadas, agreed.
“I enjoyed very much where you had the people coming on stage and taking off; it was very well in unison.
Behind the dancers is a digital backdrop that takes the audience from the beginning of Chinese culture to modern day China; from battlegrounds to the heavens; from secluded monasteries to flowering gardens.
Mr. Vadas felt a positive attitude from the performance and culture, describing it as “foresights, hopes, dreams, and just a lot of energy.”
Shen Yun, according to its website, has three equally large dance companies and orchestras—along with award-winning vocalists and production staff—criss-crossing the globe with one mission: to revive 5,000 years of divinely inspired Chinese culture after it was nearly decimated by more than six decades of communist rule in China.
Reporting by NTD Television and Zack Stieber.
New York-based Shen Yun has three companies touring the world. Shen Yun Performing Arts Touring Company will perform at New York’s Lincoln Center through Jan. 15.
For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.
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