MEMPHIS, Tenn.—Shen Yun Performing Arts, on its all-new 2012 world tour, graced the stage of Cannon Center for the Performing Arts on March 7 for its final performance in Memphis. A.L. Nance, Volunteer of the Year 2012 from Project AWARE, was in the audience.
“I’m enjoying it very much.” Mr. Nance said. “One thing that amazes me is how these guys and ladies remember all these dance routines.”
New York-based Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company. “A performance by Shen Yun is a presentation of traditional Chinese culture as it once was: a study in grace, wisdom, and the virtues distilled from the five millennia of Chinese civilization,” according to Shen Yun’s website. Every year, Shen Yun unveils an entirely new lineup of dances, songs, and musical scores.
Mr. Nance, supervisor for Tennessee Valley Authority and a mentor, was honored as Volunteer of the Year 2012 from Project AWARE. In a collection of letters written from children to mentors in The Commercial Appeal, a young boy wrote of Mr. Nance, “He goes above and beyond his mentoring responsibilities. He taught me things that will help me as I grow into a young man. He is always there when I need him.”
Mr. Nance also enjoyed Shen Yun’s interactive digital backdrops, that transform and expand the stage, and he added that the costumes are “really fantastic.”
Costumes are also an integral part of Shen Yun, they use bright colors to tailor and recreate hundreds of new pieces each season, the hand-made garments span China’s dynasties, regions, and ethnic groups, the company says.
“I enjoyed the show and I think it’s marvelous,” he concluded.
