Riverdance is an iconic production of mainly traditional Irish music and dance. An Irish dancer of 40 years, Mr. O’Donnell has a strong appreciation for the arts. He noted happily that Shen Yun shared some “very good similarities” with performances he’s done in the past.
“[The dancing] was very good. I think it’s very important that the male and female dancers have equal billing and time on stage. It’s lovely. Both were equally as good,” he explained.
“There wasn’t any one standout star. The dancers were very, very compatible.”
According to the company’s website, the classical Chinese dance we see in China today is heavily mixed with military and modern dance styles. Only at Shen Yun can you find it performed in its purest form—the way it was originally passed down through the generations.
For Mr. O’Donnell, it was impossible to pick out a favorite program from the show because “all the numbers had different merits.”
“I think all of the numbers were beautifully done; no one number was better than the other. They were all good.”
Mr. O’Donnell believes that people’s love of their culture is a shared theme across many art forms. He has a deep appreciation for the beautiful message that Shen Yun conveys.
“People are very proud of their culture and they want people to understand their culture. They all give the same message, and it’s a beautiful message. It’s worldwide.”
He agreed that Shen Yun’s mission to preserve traditional values is very necessary because “it’s important for the children of today to understand where they came from.”
