ESCONDIDO, Calif.— Abelardo Rodriguez, a digital artist, was among the audience members enjoying the Shen Yun performance on Jan. 20 along with his friend, Alicia Martinez. Both were enthralled with the show.
Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company played to a 95 percent capacity audience on Friday at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido.
“I thought it was beautifully balanced both from the music side as well as the dance side. The artistry was impeccable,” Mr. Rodriguez said.
Shen Yun is a classical Chinese music and dance company that features—in addition to an orchestra that deftly combines Chinese and Western instruments—male and female dancers who portray ancient legends and modern tales that embody the essence of Chinese culture.
In addition to technique and form, an integral element to classical Chinese dance is bearing, which includes the dancers’ spirit—the cultural DNA or ethnic flavor, according to Shen Yun’s website—expressed for the audience to see.
Mr. Rodriguez, who said he has loved traditional Chinese arts his entire life, seemed to connect to the dancers.
“You really get into the emotions with the dancers,” he said. “I think it was beautifully presented, and you can tell the level of artistry was magnificent.”
As an artist, he appreciated the colors in the performance.
“I’m a digital artist, and I was enjoying the palette of colors that you [Shen Yun] have, which I use a lot in my paintings. So exquisite. Visually ... every sense was pleased,” said Mr. Rodriguez.
The colors he referred to are seen in the many different costumes as well as backdrops for each performance. The costume artists use bright colors to tailor and recreate hundreds of new pieces each season, according to Shen Yun’s website.
The digital backdrops create vivid imagery that carries the audience to different realms. “From vast open grasslands in one dance, to the stately elegance of Tang Dynasty pavilions in another,” the digital projection greatly expands the stage, according to Shen Yun’s website.
Ms. Martinez was also moved by the performance.
“I really enjoyed the spiritual message that it delivered throughout the entire show. I really appreciated the message they were delivering between good and evil and right and wrong, and people staying true to their beliefs.”
Traditional Chinese culture had as its cornerstone principles such as benevolence and justice, moral integrity, and respect for heaven and the divine.
Ms. Martinez added, “I feel that more people need to see that message.” She said that more will stop and think about their own thoughts and beliefs after seeing Shen Yun. She said the performance was more than she expected.
Mr. Rodriguez ended the interview with a hopeful thought: when people express their voice through arts or other mediums, it can move mountains.
Reporting by Jane Lin and Albert Roman.
Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company is in San Diego at the California Center for the Arts, through Jan. 22.
For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3WTKCEA4tE[/video]
