LONDON—Singer-songwriter Ciinderella Balthazar did not expect to experience classically trained bel canto performances in the Chinese language when she saw her first performance of Shen Yun Performing Arts, but the unexpected combination was perfectly done, she said.
“It’s beautiful. It’s just simply beautiful,” said Ms. Balthazar, who is herself classically trained in music, after seeing Shen Yun at the Eventim Apollo on Jan. 9.
New York-based Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance company but has become known for much more than reviving the ancient dance form in recent years. The arts company takes as its mission to revive 5,000 years of Chinese civilization—China before communism—through music and dance.
Today, eight equal-sized companies tour the world simultaneously, bringing an all-new production of classical Chinese dance, stories from five millennia of Chinese history and legends, bel canto solos, an orchestra blending East and West, an animated backdrop, and more to some 200 cities each year.
Ms. Balthazar said the musicians were just excellent and that they beautifully blended the classical traditions of the East and West together.
The orchestra incorporates the ancient Chinese erhu and pipa, as well as Chinese percussion instruments, into an otherwise classical Western ensemble. The bel canto singers perform in the authentic style that reached the art form’s peak in 19th century Italy but sing original songs with lyrics written in Mandarin Chinese.
“I was inspired by hearing how perfect they were,” Ms. Balthazar said. “It’s really nice to see two cultures coming together and see how beautifully they blend together.”
Ms. Balthazar said there was a fluidity throughout the performance, both thematically and literally, that left her feeling very pleasant and calm.
“If you think about mythology around the world, it’s always inspired by nature, the sky, and then the flow of the wind within the dresses. You can really feel that. So it’s really beautifully conveyed,” she said.
Reporting by NTD and Catherine Yang.
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
