WASHINGTON—Nelson and Audrey Sosa were amazed and surprised when they saw Shen Yun Performing Arts for the first time at the Trump Kennedy Opera House on Jan. 11. Mr. Sosa, chief information officer for an international organization, said, “It’s my first time, and it was amazing.”
Mrs. Sosa, a psychologist, was astounded to actually see traditional Chinese culture performed on stage. “It was incredible because it is the first time in 46 years that I can see revived Chinese culture. I have only done it through my mom, through her food, through her traditions,” she said.
Mrs. Sosa especially liked the men’s and ladies’ Manchurian ethnic dances. She said, “I would say that it was very amazing because I am half Chinese. My grandfather was from Manchuria.”
She said it was riveting for her “to see the typical dance from Manchuria.”
Mr. Sosa agreed. “I think it’s very important because they were talking about communism, the things that cannot be seen in China, so we’re seeing other things from China you usually don’t see.”
Shen Yun performs for audiences around the world in order to revive traditional Chinese culture. “For me, I can’t wait to see the rebirth because I think as a half-Chinese, we’re very spiritual, and for me, I can see it, I can feel it through the show,” Mrs. Sosa said.
Traditional Chinese culture is very spiritual, and Shen Yun shows dances about the Creator and the Divine. Mr. Sosa noted the spiritual message in the piece, “You Reap What You Sow.”
Traditional Chinese dance created movements like cartwheels, which modern gymnastics has used. Mr. Sosa liked the pieces that used the techniques in classical Chinese dance.
Shen Yun features a live orchestra with a combination of Eastern and Western instruments. Mrs. Sosa said the music was “beautiful.”
Shen Yun also presents singers trained in the bel canto method who sing lyrics with beautiful spiritual messages. Mr. Sosa enjoyed it and said the tenor “gave a really nice message about the spiritual.”
Mrs. Sosa said it was very effective to tell stories through dance.
“I think it’s very effective,” she said, “because people can see it through the arts.”
“It’s told through story,” Mr. Sosa said. “I think that you usually remember things through stories. So this is like story and art and everything, and I think the message gets to us.”
Mrs. Sosa said she was happy to see Shen Yun at the newly refurbished Kennedy Center. She said the performance was “excellent. I think they did a great job.”
