SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Young Dancer ‘Blown Away’ by Intricate Shen Yun

Jan 25, 2014
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Young Dancer ‘Blown Away’ by Intricate Shen Yun
Elizabeth Drake and Alexis Franchet attend Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 24, 2013. (Courtesy of NTD Television)

WASHINGTON—Unfamiliar with Shen Yun, young dancer Elizabeth Drake was unsure what to expect when she attended Friday night’s performance of Shen Yun Performing Arts.

“When I sat down and heard the music, I was like ’this is going to be really cool.' It blew me away. It was fantastic,” said Ms. Drake. She saw Shen Yun perform January 24, at the Kennedy Center Opera House.

Shen Yun performs classical Chinese dance. A full Western orchestra accompanies the dancers. Several Chinese instruments are also incorporated into the orchestra for a new and unique sound. According to Shen Yun’s website, Classical Chinese dance has been passed down over thousands of years. It was performed in the imperial courts, among the people, and through ancient dramas.

“The dancing is very intricate and very interesting. I was very impressed with the unison of all the dancers they were all like spot on, the same. It was really amazing,” said Ms. Drake.

Shen Yun’s website says that Chinese dance includes “combinations of leaps, turns, flips, spins, and other aerial and tumbling techniques,” something that Ms. Drake’s friend Alexis Franchet found particularly impressive.

“Every single flip was just like wow, that is not normal, that shouldn’t happen. Every dance is just so different and intricate. It is really beautiful,” said Mr. Franchet.

Shen Yun’s performance Friday included both classical Chinese dance as well as ethnic dance from across China and the surrounding region.

“It was great, it was fantastic,” said Ms. Drake.

Reporting by NTD Television and Nicholas Zifcak

New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org

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.