PHILADELPHIA—Jose Diaz was deeply moved by the themes he saw in
Shen Yun Performing Arts, so much so that he came to tears at one point.
It was more than a performance; it was “like being in a time capsule,” said Mr. Diaz, a project manager, who saw the March 9 matinee with his wife, Christy.
“You laugh, you cry ... for sure, we'll recommend [Shen Yun],” Mr. Diaz said.
New York-based Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance company and takes as its
mission to revive 5,000 years of Chinese civilization.
It’s a culture that was all but lost once, when the Chinese Communist Party took power in China in 1949 and began to root out
traditional culture. The knowledge of this moved Mr. Diaz, he explained, and he was happy to see Shen Yun revive the China before communism through “one of a kind” music, stagecraft, and the ancient form of classical Chinese dance.
Mrs. Diaz, a music teacher, agreed. As a frequent theatergoer, she was greatly impressed by the unique elements of Shen Yun’s production.
“This was unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” she said.
Another musician in the audience, Rebecca Barkley, said she had also been moved to tears.
“It just made you want to cry; it was so gorgeous,” said Ms. Barkley, a business owner and retired symphony violinist.
The
classical Chinese dance was so beautiful as to evoke tears, she explained, and coupled with
the music, almost created “two shows in one” because both elements were so fulfilling.
“You’ve got to come. First-row seats—it’s the best seat in the house,“ she said. ”You get the beautiful music and the gorgeous dancing. It’s just very touching, very gorgeous, very beautiful.”
It was Ms. Barkley’s second time seeing Shen Yun; the last time she attended, she loved it so much she “couldn’t get enough” and planned a return trip. She sat further away last time, she added, and made sure to get closer seats this time.
Sitting in that first row, Ms. Barkley and her two guests, also violinists, were able to see Shen Yun’s orchestra up close.
“We really appreciate the hard work. We know what goes into it,” she said. “[We] really appreciate getting to hear the Chinese music, it’s gorgeous.”
Shen Yun’s
orchestra is unique in the world, being the only ensemble to permanently combine traditional Chinese instruments like the erhu (a two-stringed instrument) and pipa (the Chinese lute) into an otherwise classical orchestra. The music is distinctly Chinese in melody, even when carried by the Western strings and brass, but composers also employ Western classical arrangement techniques.
“Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous, flawless,“ Ms. Barkley said. ”It truly is beautiful. Perfection.”
“It makes all the difference to hear the live music,“ she said. ”To hear it live, it’s just exquisite.”
Reporting by Lily Sun.
