Theater Professor and Former Dancer Finds Shen Yun Dance Technique ‘Amazing’

Theater Professor: ‘I was fascinated with the [Shen Yun] dance numbers ... and the costumes were absolutely exquisite.’
Theater Professor and Former Dancer Finds Shen Yun Dance Technique ‘Amazing’
Christopher Nouryeh and Dr. Andrea Nouryeh, a former dance teacher. (Sherry Dong/The Epoch Times)
1/15/2011
Updated:
10/1/2015
<a><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/09/sysd.jpg" alt="Christopher Nouryeh and Dr. Andrea Nouryeh, a former dance teacher. (Sherry Dong/The Epoch Times)" title="Christopher Nouryeh and Dr. Andrea Nouryeh, a former dance teacher. (Sherry Dong/The Epoch Times)" width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-1809609"/></a>
Christopher Nouryeh and Dr. Andrea Nouryeh, a former dance teacher. (Sherry Dong/The Epoch Times)
NEW YORK—Dr. Andrea Nouryeh, a former dancer and now professor of Theater at St. Lawrence University in Upstate New York attended Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company’s Jan. 15 performance at Lincoln Center. 

She attended the show with her husband Christopher Nouryeh, a professor of English at the State University of New York (SUNY).

Ms. Nouryeh said she was fascinated by the classical Chinese dance performance. She is a former modern dancer and had much to say about the New York-based Shen Yun dancers. 

“The dancers’ technique is amazing, the choreography, the synchronicity, the way all the dancers work together to create the ensemble is amazing. Their timing, acrobatics, discipline, were all amazing to watch,” she said. 

“I was fascinated with the dance numbers, how they were put together, and the costumes were absolutely exquisite." 

Ms. Nouryeh also commented on the elaborate animated backdrop that accompanies all Shen Yun performances.

“I certainly liked the way backdrops moved and how the dancers came from underneath … it really connected with what was happening,” she said, referring to the integration of the images with the dancer’s movements, sometimes creating a surprising transition from screen to stage, and back again. 

Mr. Nouryeh was also enthusiastic about the performance. “I enjoyed it very much … the Plum Blossom dance impressed me the most, but I really enjoyed every bit of it,” he said.

Ms. Nouryeh mentioned that she appreciated the Shen Yun orchestra, which combines Western classical instruments with Eastern once, achieving a unique sound. The orchestra accompanies every Shen Yun dance piece.

“From a dance perspective, it’s really quite wonderful. These are young dancers who are doing incredibly difficult work, and they do it extremely well,” she said of the overall quality of the production.

“Watching these costumes, and watching dance movements that I know are classical dance movements, for me, the putting together of all of that, the synthesis of all of that works very well.”

Reporting by Sherry Dong and Tim McDevitt.

Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company will wrap up their two-week run at the David I. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center on Sunday Jan. 16 at a sold-out 3 p.m. matinee performance. For more information visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org

 
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