Shen Yun Performing Arts arrived in Austin, Texas during the first week of the year from Jan 6–8.
“It was spectacular!” Siobhan Blackburn, owner of an air-conditioning company said the performance was a very moving experience. “I’ve never been moved so much by an artistic show before.”
“It was beautiful,” said actress and singer Denis Garza Wasner, who was also in the audience. “It was vibrant and exciting and thought provoking and really moving.”
“It’s incredible, beautiful dance, amazing choreography and I love the music,” said Les Davis, an executive at the Texas Water Development Board. “It brings you to the dance, you can almost imagine yourself being a part of the story that they’re depicting, along with the dance and the music.”
Shen Yun is a New York-based, performing arts group. The tour’s performances combine classical Chinese dance, with a live orchestra and detailed, animated backdrop.
“I think every dance has its own energy, and the dancers do an excellent job transitioning to each one, whether that be intense, or heroism, or sad, or funny, it’s just very well executed,” said Matthew Korrodi the owner of Imperial Seasoning.
“Just the different stories, watching the interpretation with the dance, and then the singing and the music. The orchestra was phenomenal,” Mrs. Wasner said, adding, “The acting on stage, the facial expressions, and the gestures were just beautiful to watch.”
“I love the creative and I like how they blend the digital and the human element,” Sandra Steed, head of LES at Wells Fargo said. “And then there’s also history and modern culture combined. So just had much more than I expected.”
“I love that they play each story and then put that into action and show how the various culture from long ago can be played out into a form of dance. It’s just amazing how they put that together,” said Jack Blalock, a civil engineer with the U.S. Air Force.
Mr. Blalock said he appreciated the deeper message Shen Yun shares in its performances. “I see that they focus on the creation and that we are from a creator. And I fully agree that we are God’s creation and he has created everything beautiful. And I can appreciate to see that beauty played out on the stage. And so, yes, I do see a connection with the Creator.”
Shen Yun’s mission is to revive traditional Chinese culture from before communism.
“When you associate Chinese culture, you think of the more constrictive elements of it. But what I got to see today was that it was a very enlightening experience prior to the CCP, and there was more movement, there was more freedom for the individual thought, and artistic values were more appreciated. I had no idea that prior to that, that existed,” Ms. Blackburn said.
“I think it’s important that we not lose that culture. Unfortunately, communism does that. And I think it’s really important that people understand that there’s so much history, it’s 5,000 years of culture there, we can’t afford to lose that,” said Mr. Davis.
Shen Yun will perform in five more Texas cities this year, including San Antonio and El Paso.
NTD News, Austin, Texas.
