HONOLULU—Shen Yun Performing Arts gave its first of four performances at the Blaisdell Concert Hall in Honolulu on Friday May 3.
Attending in the second row was architect Jon Pharis, along with his nine guests. Mr. Pharis said he thought the performance was “very powerful, very enjoyable.”
“I like it more so because of the spiritual root behind it,” he said.
“From what I have seen, there is a spiritual root there. In the songs, in the music, there is a spiritual theme.”
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts was founded in 2006 with the mission to revive 5,000 years of ancient Chinese culture, most of which has been lost under communist rule in present-day China.
Mr. Pharis said he invited many friends to come see the performance, and wants to encourage more of his friends to see it.
Also attending the Shen Yun performance on May 3 was graphic designer Jeff Guira.
“Very eclectic,” Mr. Guira said after the performance. “The costumes were amazing.”
A native of the Philippines, Mr. Guira said he thought the performance carried a message of “unified oneness, regardless of what culture and ethnicity you are.”
Part of Shen Yun’s performances are solo performances by world-class singers, unique in that they use bel canto techniques to sing Chinese lyrics. The lyrics contain philosophical reflections on human life.
Mr. Guira said he enjoyed that the songs came with a translation so that he was able to understand the lyrics, which he thought were deep in spiritual meaning.
Reporting by Christian Watjen, Flora Ge, and Jasper Fakkert
Shen Yun Performing Arts, based in New York, tours the world on a mission to revive traditional Chinese culture. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
Shen Yun Performing Arts is performing at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center through May 5.
The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time. We have proudly covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
