DALLAS—Catherine Mooney-Burton, a development manager in a ballet company, saw Shen Yun Performing Arts on Jan. 22 at the Eisemann Center.
“Lovely, wonderful athleticism, graceful dancers—could not hear them when they landed out of their jumps. It was wonderful—the costuming—excellent. And I really appreciated the digital storyline. I loved how that was interplayed with all of the dancing,” Ms. Mooney-Burton said.
Shen Yun, based in New York, is on a mission to present “China before communism,” and revive people’s connection with 5,000 years of Chinese civilization and culture.
“With regard to the digital experience, you were able to see and envision China as it once was, and how people lived, and the traditions, and how a lot of the things that they were doing are very much like we might do in our time. America is very young, 250 years old. So it’s very different in that regard,” Ms. Mooney-Burton said.
Shen Yun’s artists are trained in classical Chinese dance, one of the most comprehensive dance systems in the world.
“The men were really exciting, because it was very energetic, but the women were beautiful. Their rapid feet, especially in the Manchurian dance on the higher shoe, that was very interesting,” Ms. Mooney-Burton said.
Shen Yun’s website states that classical Chinese dance training includes three main components—technical skill, form, and bearing, which is one of the many ways that Classical Chinese dance is different from ballet.
Ms. Mooney-Burton noticed how Shen Yun’s dancers’ hands extended more than in classical ballet, but what impressed her most was the faces of the artists.
“I really appreciated their faces. They did an excellent job conveying the story with their faces, and I thought that was very instructive,” she said.
The costumes in Shen Yun were designed by Shen Yun’s artistic director, D.F. The attire is historically appropriate to each dynasty being depicted and has often been described as the attire worn in the heavens.
“[Shen Yun’s costumes] underscores how important costuming is, because as soon as they stepped on stage, your eye goes right to the dancer before they even really take significant steps. I think costuming is sometimes underappreciated in dance,” Ms. Mooney-Burton said.
Shen Yun’s use of its digital backdrop is patented. The versatility of the technology allows the set to change scenes in the blink of an eye, giving the stage endless possibilities.
“I liked it. It grew on me. I’ve seen other digital uses. We’ve done digital uses here for our pieces. This one was a little different, with pieces jumping out and then appearing again, and the little bit of magic that went on there. I thought that was effective,” Ms. Mooney-Burton said.
