SACRAMENTO, Calif.—“I think it’s amazing to tell the stories,” said Ms. Kelly Fong Rivas, field director for Congressman Ami Bera, touched by Shen Yun Performing Arts’ revival of the traditional Chinese culture through performing arts.
“There’s so much rich history with Chinese culture, and understanding the different periods and times and struggles that Chinese have gone through to develop and maintain culture and roots—through story and dance,” Ms. Rivas said at the Sacramento Community Center Theater, Jan. 14. “[It] is all so incredible that it has maintained and persisted.”
New York-based Shen Yun revives 5,000 years of Chinese civilization, which is said to be inspired by the heavens, through the performing arts. The traditional culture was once nearly lost under the communist regime in China.
For Ms. Rivas personally, the beauty and strength of family, and having faith in family, carried through for her in the performance.
The core of traditional Chinese culture comes from the ideals of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism, and the arts like classical Chinese dance, a vast and independent system, are steeped in these values.
“I think it’s very beautiful,” Ms. Rivas said of the dancing. “All of the dancers working together with such precise movements gives a really nice effect with the props, from the long sleeves to fans to ribbons.”
Shen Yun’s dances make use of many props along with brilliant costumes. Many dances, for instance, make use of the Chinese fan, which is known for its versatility.
“It all adds a great element that really carries through because of the precise hand and feet movements,” Ms. Rivas said.
“[Shen Yun is] a really great experience to understand Chinese culture through a series of short stories that are shown through dance,” Ms. Rivas said. “It’s a really great opportunity to understand some of the dances that have helped shape Chinese culture today.”
Reporting by Gary Wang and Catherine Yang
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.
