New Zealanders caught a glimpse of divinely-inspired culture while watching Shen Yun Performing Arts at St. James Theatre in Wellington from April 13 to 16.
Wellington City Councillor Rayward Chung said Shen Yun’s quality exceeded his high expectations.
“I actually liked the one with the scenes where the soldiers jumped out of the screen and flew down from the sky. Just amazing,” he said after watching Shen Yun perform on April 13. “And I really liked the dance with the ladies with the long sleeves. Just amazing, so talented.”
“I had very high expectations but it exceeds it.”
New York-based Shen Yun showcases authentic Chinese culture, full of traditions that are believed to be divinely inspired.
Audrey Trotman, a policy advisor with New Zealand’s Ministry of Education, said she was taken away into a “colorful and fantasy-like world.”
“One where magic happens, where we fly,” she said after watching Shen Yun on April 15.
“Where the Gods are present and where humans, history, and the universe come together.”
Huhana Lyndon, who is CEO of the Ngatiwai Trust Board and Maori organisations in Whangarei, said she felt connected to China’s divinely-inspired culture.
“I think in terms of the divinity and ourselves and Maori people, we have a spiritual connection too and can feel that in the way that the dancers addressed issues—current issues—but also those connections to our God, our Creator,” she said after watching Shen Yun on April 15.
Theatergoers also commended Shen Yun’s original music, particularly its live orchestra and a traditional Chinese instrument called the Erhu—a two-stringed instrument that is like a Chinese violin.
Sabry Macher, co-founder of visual company 3DFY.ME, said that the female virtuoso who played the erhu was “so amazing.”
“I wonder how long this woman, this artist, took to achieve this mastery; it’s just beyond imagination. I definitely learned something today,” Macher said on April 16.
Winifred Livesay, a soprano and music teacher, said she never sat for so long listening to the Chinese-styled music.
“It was probably more like I was used to a very legato playing, so it was lovely to have the combination of the both [Eastern and Western instruments],” she said on April 16.
Theatergoers called attention to Shen Yun’s great efforts to put on its large-scale performance.
“And I hope all of the world gets the opportunity to see what we’ve seen today, and people get to remember the importance of being connected to something far greater than themselves,” Trotman said.
NTD News, Wellington, New Zealand.
