“It’s absolutely beautiful,” she exclaimed. “I’ve always seen the promotions, and I’ve seen the photographs and the brochures, but when you see it in real life, it’s something quite different. So, it’s a real joy to be here.”
“The colors so much more vibrant [in person]—the screens, the special effects—the faces, I think, were the thing that really struck me the most, the beautiful faces on the dancers. Just the mood of the place as well, it’s a very exciting.”
“The orchestra, especially the instruments, everything is excellent. There is a real ease to this show. When you are calm, it’s very relaxing. There is no stress. It’s very, very comfortable. The musicianship is just beautiful,” she said.
“I’m a musician myself, and so I know the excellence that has been reached here is quite extraordinary. The discipline that must have taken to get to this level is absolutely amazing.”
“I remember listening to the soprano singer, and she was just beautiful. … It’s absolutely a beautiful, beautiful sound that she was making, and she has a beautiful message, as well.”
The production is comprised of a series of short pieces that takes its audience on a ride through the dynasties and across the vast regions of China. Using classical Chinese, folk, and ethnic dances, as well as solo musical performances, Shen Yun tells tales from ancient times to the modern day.
Ms. Cotton was particularly moved by the story-dance, which raised awareness of the ongoing human rights issues in present-day China under communist rule.
“It’s quite a sad, in a way, to see [the] show because we know what’s behind it is a very difficult story,” she shared.
“It’s really amazing to know that story, and to know the persecution and the dangers that … the performers have to go through in order to carry out these performances. I’m so, so grateful and very, very honored to be here.”
Ms. Cotton loved that the artists are bringing back traditional Chinese culture and thought they are “absolutely shining.”
“The movement is amazing. It’s almost phenomenal how they can move in the way they do. I think the acrobatics are something that is extraordinary,” Ms. Cotton expressed.
“You see it in the promotions, but when you actually see it face to face, just meters away from the stage, you think that it is possible that they are doing such incredible movements and the acrobatics. It’s almost like they’re light as a feather, and there doesn’t seem to be any effort. They just seem effortless in their choreography and their dance.”
“I’m so grateful for their musicianship, for their skill, for their discipline, and for everything that they go through to get to this point, to deliver such a beautiful performance for people in Australia and around the world,” she said.
“Everything that has come to this moment for me to be here—I’m so privileged and so honored and grateful.”
