HOLLYWOOD, Calif.—Finally reaching the city of the stars, glamorous Hollywood, the Shen Yun Performing Arts World Company started their first of five days of shows at the Dolby Theatre (formerly Kodak Theatre) on January 22. Being the premier traditional Chinese dance and music group in the world, Shen Yun attracted some of Hollywood’s top talent to the performance.
Among them was writer Paul Mason and his wife Li Qing Zhi.
“Beautiful, beautiful,” he said of Shen Yun. “The sights are beautiful to see, and very imaginative.”
Mr. Mason is a writer and producer in the film industry. While currently working independently, he previously was the senior vice president of production at Viacom and Showtime. He is known for award-winning TV series such as Ironside, MacMillan and Wife, and such recent films as The Amityville Horror and A Common Man with Ben Kingsley.
A Shen Yun performance consists of several dance pieces, all backed up by the Shen Yun Performing Arts Orchestra, as well as a digital backdrop that vividly gives each dance a different context.
“The choreography and the back sight is very imaginative,” said Mr. Mason. “Very well done.”
The Shen Yun website explains: “With state-of-the-art graphics technology, Shen Yun’s digital-backdrop team creates vividly animated settings, extending the stage and transporting the audience to a world where heaven and earth are one.”
The whole experience would not be complete without the new costumes specially sewn for each year’s performance. Founded in New York in 2006, Shen Yun has forged a whole new performance, hundreds of costumes, and original music each year, with the goal of reviving 5,000 years of Chinese culture.
The costumes especially caught Mr. Mason’s eye. “They’re really very well thought out, beautiful,” he said.
“Shen Yun’s costume artists collect countless designs of traditional attire, ranging from those of emperors, ministers, and generals to the everyday clothing of the common people. Their objective is an authentic presentation of the attire that comes from China’s divinely inspired traditional culture, and a consummate stage effect,” explains the web site.
At the core of each dance piece is a story or element of Chinese culture, which also impressed Mr. Mason. “I like them,” he said of the stories. “I find them very well done.”
Mr. Mason’s wife also enjoyed the performance.
“I heard about it quite a few years ago,” said Ms. Zhi. “They all say it’s spectacular, so finally we got tickets and decided to watch. It’s beautiful.”
Reporting by Zheng Qu and Miles Segni
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.
Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time. We have proudly covered audience reaction since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
