LONDON—Yong-Chin Marika Breslin, a makeup artist and winner BBC’s “Glowup” Season 4 whose fashion is inspired by Asian mythology, watched dancers from Shen Yun Performing Arts flutter across the stage at London’s Eventin Apollo on Jan. 10. She said she felt a connection with the dances’ tradition.
Arriving with her date, who works in finance, Ms. Breslin told The Epoch Times she was excited to see Shen Yun, as she used to practice classical Chinese dancing as a young girl. Asian culture also inspires her acclaimed makeup artwork.
The ladies with the long, flowing sleeves stood out most vividly for her, she said, but also the fact that the show “still feels very traditional,” even in this modern era.
“I think it’s very pure in that sense, where it feels like a traditional Chinese dance and not as modern as other theater shows,” Ms. Breslin said.
The New York-based classical Chinese dance company, according to its website, meticulously researches ancient costumes styles from dynasties such as the Tang and motifs such as the phoenix, dragon, lightning, and cloud.
Revitalizing cherished artistic traditions, its artisans craft costumes to adorn its bright, colorfully-adorned and highly energetic dancers—like the delicate female dancers who appeared to float across the stage with their long, flowing sleeves.
Ms. Breslin also explores Chinese dragon motifs in her makeup designs.
Her date noted that it’s crucial to preserve the history of traditional Chinese dance, as Shen Yun aims to do. Shen Yun, the world’s leading classical Chinese dance company, states that it mission is “to revive authentic Chinese culture which was almost lost at the hands of the Chinese Communist Party.”
“I say, anytime you can preserve history, something that’s sort of been suppressed or taken away someplace, if you can bring it back and revive it, keep it going, it’s important,” he said.
He wants to encourage the dancers of Shen Yun, “Keep doing it. You’re wonderful. You’re very talented.”
Being part Asian, Ms. Breslin said she gravitated toward Shen Yun’s themes drawn from ancient myth—wherein the universe’s Creator descends from the heavens with a multitude of gods and bestows Chinese culture upon the realm of mankind. “Legends say that China’s traditional culture is a gift from the divine,” Shen Yun’s website states.
“I learned Chinese dancing when I was younger, traditional Chinese dance, so I definitely [felt a connection,]” Ms. Breslin said. “Because I’m half Asian, so I feel more connected to it.”
Reporting by Mary Man and Michael Wing.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
From The Epoch Times
