TAMPA, Fla.—DJ Lady Shay was introduced to a whole new musical world on Sunday, March 4, at the sold-out performance of Shen Yun Performing Arts at The David A. Straz, Jr. Center.
As a travelling DJ that can be found performing anywhere from corporate events to weddings, DJ Shay, aka, Shayna Brown, was floored by the instrumentation of the Shen Yun Orchestra that features traditional Chinese instruments.
“The music was wonderful, I loved it. I loved the percussionists, of course, because I’m into music. But everyone was good,” she said.
“The show was wonderful, the orchestra was wonderful, the dancers were phenomenal. Very great show.”
New York-based Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company.
The company’s unique story-based dances feature the lessons and values of 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture.
Each dance is accompanied by a Western-style philharmonic orchestra, that blends with traditional Chinese instruments leading the melody.
“I loved the Western instruments as well as the Eastern Chinese instruments. It was a beautiful combination, perfect. I loved it,” said Ms. Brown.
She was also captivated by the classical Chinese dance, which is known for its challenging technical demands and high expressivity.
“It was fantastic. I’ve never seen any dancing like this before,” said Ms. Brown.
“I really loved the colors and I really loved the movement. It was a really beautiful show, so I’m really glad that we came.”
Ms. Brown attended the show with Byron Windsor, a video game designer that creates educational games for children.
He said both the male and female opera singers in the performance were powerful.
“They were excellent … to be able to have such a powerful voice, and such a stage presence is a plus. It was excellent—very strong voices; full,” Mr. Windsor said.
Shen Yun features bel canto operatic singing, a style that demands a high pitch that only few in the world have mastered.
“Especially with the females being able to open up and just really project their voice it was very good, and the male has the nice deep, strong voice; where the notes kind of even vibrate,” he said.
“Even though he’s so far away, you can still feel the notes from a distance.”
Mr. Windsor was also inspired by the show’s animated digital backdrops, which allow interplay with the dancers, and gives each dance-story context and dimension.
“The backdrops were very creative. I liked the way they did the integration of the graphics along with the live actors,” he said.
Mr. Windsor said he could get ideas for his next projects from Shen Yun’s colorful characters and costumes.
According to the Shen Yun website, the costumes are hand-sewn, incorporating vivid colors and elegant details, and are inspired by five millennia of traditional Chinese culture.
“The dancing was excellent—very vivid colors, it keeps your attention,” he said.
Reporting by Sally Sun and Justina Wheale
Shen Yun Performing Arts, based in New York, tours the world on a mission to revive traditional Chinese culture. Shen Yun Performing Arts Touring Company will next perform in Memphis, Tenn., on March 6 and 7.
For more information visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
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