CHICAGO—On May 2, 3D animator Markus Pchalek attended Shen Yun Performing Arts’ second show at the Civic Opera House. He thought it was an extraordinary experience.
“The second half has been even been more extraordinary than the first,” Mr. Pchalek exclaimed. “It’s really great. Great colors, great compositions, great music, and the performance are just phenomenal.”
“It’s a very nice integration of both the traditional dance and the [3D] picture in the background. They are animated, and everything plays together very well.”
Based in New York, Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company.
Mr. Pchalek loved the company’s use of a 3D digital backdrop that collaborated seamlessly with the performers on stage to enhance storytelling.
“There were a lot of fluid simulations as well with the water effects, which looked just amazing. It’s great,” he shared.
The backdrop “gives [the stories] more depth. [It’s] a little bit more grounded in reality somehow, and then there comes the extra little punch of fantasy, which is amazing.”
“It’s beautiful, the combination of Western music and the influence [of the East] with the different instrumentations. This is really awesome.”
Built on a foundation of classical Western orchestration, Shen Yun’s original compositions feature traditional Chinese instruments such as the two-stringed erhu and the ancient lute, the pipa.
“It was the first time that the interaction [between the stage and backdrop] appeared, and there was really something to be happy about. That was really great,” he shared.
“It’s very imaginative, having people fly around and things like that. It’s not something that is seen in Western animation often. It’s really amazing to see.”
