BOSTON—Shen Yun Performing Arts graced the stage at the Boston Opera House on Sunday, giving the audience an insight into an traditional Chinese culture.
“I think it’s totally amazing,” said Cheryl Ward, an artist who was taken to the performance as a birthday present from her husband. “We love it—the colors, the dancing. I mean they didn’t leave anything out.”
New York-based Shen Yun starts with classical Chinese dance, an ancient art form that was passed down through thousands of years of history.
“Soaking up profound wisdom from every era and dynasty, it has become a complete system of dance embodying traditional aesthetic principles with its unique dance movements, rhythms, and inner meaning,” according to the company’s website.
Accentuating the dance are the handmade costumes, an orchestra melding Chinese and Western classical instruments, and digital backdrops.
Roger Ward, who works with the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority, said he enjoyed the harmonious arrangement of dance and technology.
“I was amazed by the way that they blended the filming part of it along with the dance choreography,” he said. “It worked out very well.”
Shen Yun travels to over 100 cities and 20 countries each year to present traditional Chinese culture, which is imbued with a range of virtues and values such as benevolence, sincerity, and wisdom, along with a respect for the divine.
Mr. Ward said seeing Shen Yun was “positively a phenomenal experience.”
Also, the discipline in the performance, along with other values, struck him as missing in Western culture.
“I think a show like this should demonstrate what a real focus on culture can mean, and how that can be presented in a very beautiful way,” he said.
Traditional Chinese culture has been almost destroyed by the ruling communist regime in China; and Shen Yun’s mission is to revive it.
Mrs. Ward, who loves music, dance, and theater, said the performance really connected with her.
“I think it’s something we need to hold onto for future generations,” she said.
Reporting by Lu Di and Zachary Stieber.
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
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