PITTSBURGH—Residents of Pittsburgh savored a taste of 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture on Friday evening, as Shen Yun Performing Arts debuted at at The Benedum Center for the Performing Arts on February 1.
Mr. Boris Brindar, the chief art conservator at Church Restoration Group—a company that says it offers its services “for historic and sacred sites across the country”—could appreciate the fine artistic quality displayed in Shen Yun.
“It’s absolutely fabulous,” he said about Shen Yun, noting the interplay between dancers on stage with the colorful, detailed visual backdrop that changes with each part of the performance.
“The combination of straight projection and the action ... is fabulous,” said Mr. Brindar, whose work has been featured on local television station WQED.
Shen Yun aims to revive the nearly lost history of China, as well as its ancient traditions, via performing arts—particularly classical Chinese dance—and music, according to the company’s website. Classical Chinese dance, with its thousands of years of development, is said to be capable of showing the essence of China’s culture.
“The fact they are bringing out the history of China is outstanding,” said Mr. Brindar. “It’s just remarkable.”
One aspect of Shen Yun that strikes many audience members are the colorful and uniquely designed costumes. Mr. Brindar’s daughter, Olga, who works as a retail manager and has a background in fine arts, could be counted as one of such audience members.
“I’m just a very color-oriented person, so the costumes were fantastic,” said Ms. Brindar.
The hand-designed costumes include the Tang Dynasty’s “imperial dragon robes,” colorful Han couture, as well as the ethnic attire of Tibetans, Dai, Mongol, and others, the company’s website states.
Mr. Bindar was impressed by the harmony he saw in Shen Yun. “When there is harmony of rhythm of movement, audio, and visual it’s a perfect combination,” he said adding, “That’s why we’re here.”
Mr. Bindar’s wife, Ludmila, an aesthetician, said she enjoyed “just everything” about the performance.
With reporting by Madalina Hubert and Jack Phillips.
Shen Yun Performing Arts International Company will perform in Pittsburg until Feb. 3. Shen Yun Performing Arts, based in New York, tours the world on a mission to revive traditional Chinese culture. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
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