PHOENIX, Ariz.—Victoria Kristy and Barbie White enjoyed many aspects of the performance of Shen Yun Performing Arts at Symphony Hall on March 6.
The spiritual message of traditional Chinese culture that Shen Yun shared touched Ms. White, a social events planner. “I loved when it said that atheism and evolution do not exist because I agree with that. I loved seeing and understanding the faith and having that is there.
“I loved learning about the culture,” Ms. White said. “I loved the humor that was placed in throughout. I thought the singing, the music just spoke to my soul. I felt like it was an incredible storytelling of the history, the present, and even the fables like the pig. I loved it.”
Shen Yun features singers and music with a live orchestra that features Eastern and Western instruments. Ms. White noted how the music synchronized with the stories danced on stage.
“I felt like it accurately portrayed the emotions and also the logicalness of the story of what they were trying to tell. I think that if I would have been blind and could only hear, I would [have] understood through the music what was being portrayed—just listening, it would still invoke the same emotion, the same. It was very well done,” she said.
Ms. Kristy, a manager of a community theater, said: “It was thrilling, it was beautiful, it was ethereal. We really appreciated the grace of the performers, the costumes, and especially the integration of the back wall and then how magically they would jump down and then be in the screen behind. That was just amazing with the technology. Yes. And the message was wonderful, too.”
Ms. Kristy was especially moved by the message “that kindness, goodness—the Creator gives us all of this—and no matter what religion we are, that we appreciate gifts that we have and that we can express them and be good and kind to each other.”
She was impressed with the quality and artistic level of the whole performance. “Amazing. And to think that they re-choreograph every year—a whole new show with whole new stories, whole new choreography, and music. That’s amazing to take such a large cast and all the different elements that put it together and to re-create it every year. That’s just amazing on so many levels. That’s very impressive,” she said.
Shen Yun features a patented 3D backdrop that interacts with the performers on stage. Ms. Kristy was impressed how everything worked together.
“Besides the technical expertise, because using the screen and then the performers dance and the singing … It looked like it was a sold-out audience—so every single person who was watching, I feel, took away a message, took away even on different levels, whether they just took away the music or whether they just took away the dance. You mentioned the Creator has given all of this to us,” she said.
“No matter what religion we are, we all believe, well, the majority of us believe, in a Creator and that the performers here were allowed to or wanted to share the message of their Creator on stage in art form.
“I think that’s just a blessing and amazing because performance art is beautiful, with a lot of very talented dancers, very talented actors, very talented musicians. But for all of these very talented people, to want to share the story of their relationship with their Creator just takes it up to a different level, I think. Anyway, how much more natural.”
Reporting by Sherry Dong and Yvonne Marcotte.
From The Epoch Times
NTD is a media sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts, covering audience reactions since 2006.
