PROVIDENCE, R.I.—Gina Mark, a musician and composer, found inspiration in Shen Yun Performing Arts at Providence Performing Arts Center on Sunday.
The orchestra’s music, which features a unique blend of classical Western and Chinese instruments, was “brilliant and beautiful,” she said.
Watching the New York-based company’s display of 5,000 years of Chinese culture, Ms. Mark saw something fundamentally human in the performance, a culture that transcends ethnic boundaries.
“It just seems there’s such unity throughout the world ... a sense of unity among cultures, that we are all the same. We all want the same thing as people, the ones that God created,” she said.
She was struck by how “everything blossoms from the same core.”
Ms. Mark could sense that the performers were “people who are creating and speaking something from the soul.”
Leading the Way
Shen Yun tours the world, leading the way in a revival of traditional Chinese culture, which is said to be divinely inspired, according to the company’s website.
Classical Chinese dance includes intricate and graceful movements and postures imbued with deep meaning and expression. It also includes technical skill in executing jumps, tumbles, and turns. It is an ancient art form that predates ballet and acrobatics.
Shen Yun features some of the world’s top classical Chinese dancers.
Ms. Mark could also appreciate the dancer’s skills and movements, from her experience as a martial artist.
Classical Chinese dance is the best form for bringing China’s ancient legends and history to life, according to the Shen Yun website.
Shen Yun also features scenes from contemporary life in China.
“The oppression in China comes through very clearly, and it is something that is sort of creeping in here in the United States. It brings to light the necessity that people need to live their faith, and live their lives freely,” Ms. Mark said.
A ‘Sensory Experience’
Dina Dryden, a friend who brought Ms. Mark to the performance, said the performance, “inspires you and gives you the sense of positive, that there’s still hope.”
For Ms. Dryden, Shen Yun was “an overall excitement for all your senses, for your emotions, for your sight, for everything.
“It’s an all encompassing …” Ms. Dryden paused, searching for the words. “Sensory experience,” Ms. Mark said, finishing her friends sentence.
Ms. Dryden brought Ms. Mark to the performance as a birthday present, but she said, “I’ve benefited as well, because I’ve wanted to come for years.”
“It really was exhilarating, it was fabulous, it was moving, and it was inspiring. Breathtaking,” Ms. Mark said.
Reporting by Huiwen Ji and Tara MacIsaac
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.
