CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Gratitude and good fortune: that’s the feeling that great art leaves in us, the sense of being enriched, of having become better after seeing it. While many such transcendent artistic experiences are housed in places like the Louvre or Versailles, there is one based in New York that travels the world, delivering exactly that feeling to theatergoers like Paula Pottle of North Carolina, the senior vice president of a bank.
“I’m very lucky I got a chance to see this … and I think the mission is wonderful: to open this door to people who may not have seen or known anything about [true Chinese culture],” she added.
For Pottle, Shen Yun was a cultural experience that offered delights for the senses and the soul.
“It’s beautiful. It’s visually absolutely stunning. I love how the dancers float on the stage. It’s just beautiful. It’s a beautiful performance,” she added.
Pottle felt that Shen Yun’s content is relevant to today’s modern world.
“Follow your heart” is another such message Pottle drew from the performance, this time from a specific dance story about a Taoist master and disciple who took a leap of faith. “Very, very enjoyable and a wonderful story,” Pottle asserted.
Charlotte audience members were treated to a special solo performance in Shen Yun by erhu player Lu Sun. The piece she played is titled “Roaming Without a Care.” Pottle thoroughly enjoyed this rare opportunity.
“Oh, yes, that’s fantastic [the erhu], yes, that’s great. It was … you hear it, you recognize it, but I have never seen it played live, so it was wonderful,” she said.
According to Shen Yun’s website, “The erhu is incredibly expressive, capable of imitating sounds from chirping birds to neighing horses. ... In its lowest and middle range, the erhu is especially stirring and somber, a quality eminently suitable for conveying the grand pageant of China’s history and the emotions of its people.”
Pottle’s overall impression is that Shen Yun was “visually elegant and the music is also wonderful.”
“I would absolutely recommend it and it’s a wonderful, wonderful performance. I enjoyed it,” she added.
