HONOLULU—Virginia Hinshaw, chancellor of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, was very impressed with the Shen Yun Performing Arts show at the Blaisdell Concert Hall on March 31, 2009.
“I think it was absolutely beautiful,” said Ms. Hinshaw said.
She felt that Shen Yun had “absolutely beautiful colors, I thought it was fantastic.
“I have visited China twice. They performed, but not at this level. I haven’t seen this level of presentation,” she added.
Given her interest in the field of education, Ms. Hinshaw appreciated the breadth of the educational elements in the show.
“Very informative because all the different types of presentations,” she said.
Shen Yun “showed me a lot of diversity, talents, and themes through dance … beautifully artistic,” Ms. Hinshaw continued.
A diverse experience is presented through Shen Yun by their incorporation of Chinese ethnic and folk dance and Chinese classical dance.
“It is very informative, it was modern and yet old, very interesting combination,” she commented.
Another feature of the Shen Yun performance is that the Chinese classical dance is used to portray both ancient stories, delineating 5,000 years of Chinese history, and modern stories, telling stories of courage in China today.
As to the modern stories, Ms. Hinshaw noted, “There was a mixture of sadness, a lot of them, particularly in the songs, they talked a lot about despair, the hard times, and yet there is hope.”
She noted that one sad piece, one with a child, told about “the wrong and sad things that happen in life.”
In Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution, the dance to which Ms. Henshaw is referring, tells the story of one family torn apart by the unjust persecution of Falun Dafa, currently underway in China. A father is taken away from his wife and little girl and is beaten to death.
Ms. Hinshaw also enjoyed the music, The combination of the Western and Chinese music instruments, and the special Chinese musical instruments on stage, such as the erhu.
In addition, she noted the vocalists: “They were lovely. I think they did not need a mic because they have such powerful voices. They were wonderful, I thought it was very enchanting.”
Overall, Ms. Hinshaw enjoyed the sense of Chinese culture she experienced in the show. “We have much to learn. But in Hawaii we are very fortunate to have a large Chinese population,” she added.
At the VIP reception she said, “Your performance was fantastic. It was beautiful both to the ear and eye. And told stories that we could understand and appreciate.
“We are so blessed in Hawaii to have many different cultures, but certainly a very strong Chinese culture and community here. And we are very blessed and grateful for that, proud that you’re here to share your talents with us and educate us.
‘As a person at the University of Hawaii, I really appreciate the opportunity to learn, and I think everybody tonight learned, and they also enjoyed. Your performance refreshed our souls and helped us understand more about the Chinese culture. I have always thought that music and dance are international languages. And tonight we got to speak the same language together.”
For more information, please visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
“I think it was absolutely beautiful,” said Ms. Hinshaw said.
She felt that Shen Yun had “absolutely beautiful colors, I thought it was fantastic.
“I have visited China twice. They performed, but not at this level. I haven’t seen this level of presentation,” she added.
Given her interest in the field of education, Ms. Hinshaw appreciated the breadth of the educational elements in the show.
“Very informative because all the different types of presentations,” she said.
Shen Yun “showed me a lot of diversity, talents, and themes through dance … beautifully artistic,” Ms. Hinshaw continued.
A diverse experience is presented through Shen Yun by their incorporation of Chinese ethnic and folk dance and Chinese classical dance.
“It is very informative, it was modern and yet old, very interesting combination,” she commented.
Another feature of the Shen Yun performance is that the Chinese classical dance is used to portray both ancient stories, delineating 5,000 years of Chinese history, and modern stories, telling stories of courage in China today.
As to the modern stories, Ms. Hinshaw noted, “There was a mixture of sadness, a lot of them, particularly in the songs, they talked a lot about despair, the hard times, and yet there is hope.”
She noted that one sad piece, one with a child, told about “the wrong and sad things that happen in life.”
In Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution, the dance to which Ms. Henshaw is referring, tells the story of one family torn apart by the unjust persecution of Falun Dafa, currently underway in China. A father is taken away from his wife and little girl and is beaten to death.
Ms. Hinshaw also enjoyed the music, The combination of the Western and Chinese music instruments, and the special Chinese musical instruments on stage, such as the erhu.
In addition, she noted the vocalists: “They were lovely. I think they did not need a mic because they have such powerful voices. They were wonderful, I thought it was very enchanting.”
Overall, Ms. Hinshaw enjoyed the sense of Chinese culture she experienced in the show. “We have much to learn. But in Hawaii we are very fortunate to have a large Chinese population,” she added.
At the VIP reception she said, “Your performance was fantastic. It was beautiful both to the ear and eye. And told stories that we could understand and appreciate.
“We are so blessed in Hawaii to have many different cultures, but certainly a very strong Chinese culture and community here. And we are very blessed and grateful for that, proud that you’re here to share your talents with us and educate us.
‘As a person at the University of Hawaii, I really appreciate the opportunity to learn, and I think everybody tonight learned, and they also enjoyed. Your performance refreshed our souls and helped us understand more about the Chinese culture. I have always thought that music and dance are international languages. And tonight we got to speak the same language together.”
For more information, please visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
