TAICHUNG, Taiwan—“Very touching! Very exquisite! I feel it is truly marvelous,” exclaimed Ms. Mei-Fang Juan, director of Phoenix Dance Company, after she saw the matinee presented by Shen Yun Performing Arts World Company at the Taichung Chung Shan Hall on April 10, 2016.
As a teacher certified by U.K. Royal Academy of Dance and the winner of Taiwan Flying Phoenix Award 2006, Ms. Juan said that this was her third year seeing Shen Yun, and she was truly fascinated by the exquisite performance. The dancers’ “foundation is exceptionally good. With great strength and rhythms, the dance is breathtaking. I feel like dancing with them. The performance that can make me have this kind of feeling is few and far between,” she added.
“In addition to dancing in great unison, what’s special about Shen Yun is that every performer is totally immersed in the performance,” she said, “Shen Yun artists interpreted every character’s disposition vividly as if their cells were immersed in their roles.”
“Take the dance ‘Defending the Throne,’ for instance. Every role was played perfectly. As to the male dancer’s performance, the young emperor Kangxi’s strength, manner, and temperament were fully demonstrated [in the drama] through dancer’s body movements and expressions. That’s why I felt it very touching,” Ms. Juan said.
Fascinated by the music played by Shen Yun’s live Orchestra blending Chinese and Western musical instruments, Ms. Juan said, “The live music was so touching that I felt a kind of excitement from the bottom of my heart. In addition to visual enjoyment, the rhythms of the music touched every cell of my body.”
“In the piece ‘Handkerchiefs,’ the movements and formation changes were particularly magnificent. It was especially pleasant to my eyes. Besides, the drumbeat sounds and rhythms in the Mongolian dance ‘Drums of the Grasslands’ were overwhelming and full of a festive atmosphere.”
Amazed by Shen Yun’s original handmade costumes that are rich in vibrant colors, Ms. Juan said, Shen Yun “is very particular about costumes. The vibrant colors are very appealing. I believe the artistic director must have a keen eye on selection of colors. Take the costume for Qing Dynasty Princess for example. The purple vest, coupled with the pink skirt, made me feel it very eye-catching and refreshing.”
Ms. Juan expressed that she had never thought of matching these kinds of colors together, and she was truly inspired by that. “It’s very creative and very beautiful. Shen Yun’s concepts and elements of innovation can inspire others,” she said.
And the inspiration can go quite deep.
“Shen Yun spreads [the message of] truthfulness, compassion and tolerance, and brings positive energy to people regardless of their religion,” she said. “I think this kind of spiritual enrichment is what people of this land really need.”
She continued, “Shen Yun’s artistic director must have great wisdom, so that he can bring the positive energy to people around the world. Nowadays, positive energy is hard to find and hard to share. There must be an invisible force or a strong belief that helps him persist doing so. What he envisions is not simply something on the surface, but something deeper and more profound.”
Seeing so many passionate people attending the Shen Yun as it celebrates its tenth anniversary, Ms. Juan offered her best wishes for the company: “I wish Shen Yun many more anniversaries to come, and wish Shen Yun will be able to perform in mainland China.”
Reporting by Dong Huiling and Billy Shyu
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.
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http://www.epochtimes.com/b5/16/4/10/n7540957.htm
