Jason Lee said, “It was very interesting to see [the persecution of the Falun Dafa practitioners] and very moving.”
MESA, Ariz.—“The women’s dancing was very graceful,” said Jason Lee, a network engineer with Limelight Networks, a global company that provides and orchestrates a digital presence platform. He and his wife attended the March 1 evening performance of Shen Yun Performing Arts International Company at the Ikeda Theater, in the Mesa Arts Center.
One dance that was “very moving” to Mr. Lee was An Unexpected Encounter. This vignette is about a father and daughter who take a tour in present-day China and innocently come across something the tour guides would not want them to see, according to the emcees who introduce each dance. According to the Shen Yun program, “On one side stands a trio of people who practice the spiritual discipline known as Falun Dafa.” The spiritual practice has been persecuted in China since 1999, where practitioners have suffered arrests, torture, and even death for their beliefs.
This particular dance captured Mr. Lee’s attention. He said, “It was very interesting to see [the persecution of the Falun Dafa practitioners] and very moving.”
Classical Chinese dance embodies rich cultural traditions with movements that become expressions of the character portrayed. Ancient Chinese wisdom states that in order to convey true art one must have inner beauty, according to the Shen Yun website.
Mr. Lee “really liked the women’s dancing … it was very graceful.”
“I thought the Shaolin Monk scene [When Shaolin Monks Protected the Emperor] was very funny, very well-choreographed,” said Mr. Lee.
Shen Yun’s vignettes are enhanced by animated digital backdrops that give the impression of heaven and earth coming together as one.
Mrs. Lee “liked how they showed the scene of people flying, and then the perfect choreography of the people coming on to the stage at the same time.” The effect gives the appearance of the dancers coming out of the screen.
Shen Yun also features songs. “Shen Yun’s soloists must not only develop the skills necessary to perform bel canto operatic style while singing Chinese lyrics but at the same time maintain proper Chinese diction,” states its website.
Mrs. Lee said the soloists “were beautiful.”
“Very, very moving performances,” said Mr. Lee, speaking of the vocal solos.
“It’s interesting to see the ancient stories, and things we wouldn’t normally be exposed to.”
Shen Yun Performing Arts is on a global tour bringing to the stage China’s rich, 5,000-year-old culture through the universal language of dance, music, and song. One is taken on a journey through dynasties, various ethnic regions, and ancient folklore up to present day.
Reporting by Jenny Liu and Maria Banks.
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. Shen Yun Performing Arts International Company is performing at the Ikeda Theater in the Mesa Arts Center in Mesa, Ariz., March 2–3, and the Orpheum Theatre in Phoenix, Ariz., March 10. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
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