MIAMI, Fla.—If you think of dance on a warm Miami night, palm trees and a Latin beat come to mind, right? For Latin dance world champions Emily Bender and Raul Martinez, their evening on Jan. 6 was spent enjoying classical Chinese dance for a change.
“I love the simplicity and the perfectionism,” said Ms. Bender. “I’m balletically trained, so I know the details, and sometimes, especially in this day and age, everything is all about the wow factor. So I love the essence—you could just tell it was like from internal.”
Ms. Bender echoed an often-heard sentiment from audiences that Shen Yun performers exude a genuine joy on stage. She was also struck by the coordination among the performers.Mr. Martinez agreed.
“It’s the simplicity, the elegance, beauty, and control behind every movement,” said Martinez. “I really, really enjoy that.”
‘Mental Detox’
Teng Dongyu/Epoch Times
“I feel healing, I feel like I’m floating. I feel very at peace and this is the best part of the show,” said graphic designer Dimitri Khawly. “From the music, for the performance, everything was flawless.”
“I feel like the healing was inside. The purification, the mental detox from all the chaos in the world. To me it’s like releasing all the chaotic and bringing back the peace within me.”
For Khawly, seeing Shen Yun was also a launching point for further exploration.“It makes me want to get more spiritual and get to know more about the culture. My grandfather is Chinese—he is from Canton—so after this show, it’s going to get me more involved and try to get to know more about my culture from my grandfather’s side.”
Reporting by Teng Dongyu.
