WASHINGTON—Retired Navy Command Master Chief Warren Hendon has traveled the world throughout his career and was pleased to attend Shen Yun Performing Arts’ evening show at the Kennedy Center Opera House on Jan. 8, to learn more about traditional Chinese culture.
“China is the world’s oldest civilization. I’ve always been curious about it,” he said. China before communism “has a rich history,” and he added that the performance was “very informative.”
Accompanying Mr. Hendon for the evening was his girlfriend, Tina Yang, who immigrated from China over ten years ago. She, too, thoroughly enjoyed Shen Yun.
“I think it’s a show that brings people a lot of joy. It really makes you feel relaxed,” she said, adding that seeing traditional Chinese culture “made me miss home a bit.”
Also attending the performance for the first time was retired interior designer Kathy Clarke and her husband, Mike, a retired banker. The evening turned out to be everything the couple had hoped for.
“I wanted to come for several years,” Mrs. Clarke said. “I love the costumes. The colors were beautiful, it’s an interesting combination of colors. It just lit up the screen.”
She said she thought it was like a fantasy how Shen Yun used its patented 3D projection, which seamlessly collaborates with performers on stage to create a magical effect.
“It was unique and creative. I’ve never seen it,” Mr. Clarke said. “We thought [the performance] was great. It was very enlightening about the culture. We did not know, and so we enjoyed it.”
Using classical Western orchestration as the foundation, Shen Yun’s original compositions highlight traditional Chinese instruments such as the two-stringed erhu and the pipa—an ancient Chinese lute. Bringing to its audience the best of both worlds.
“We believe in freedom of religion and belief and [Shen Yun] supports that,” he added. “We'd have a better world if everyone practiced [these principles.] A much safer place.”
