ATLANTA—Cobb Energy Centre had an excited audience on Jan. 28 as Shen Yun Performing Arts brought to Atlanta’s stage 5,000 years of ancient Chinese Civilization. In a triumph of collaboration, Shen Yun brought together over a hundred of the world’s foremost classically trained Chinese dancers, choreographers, musicians, and vocalists.
Among the appreciative theatergoers was Eddie Ross, graphic designer and his daughter Lauren, a teacher. Mr. Ross said, “I was very impressed with the experience and the atmosphere that they presented. I was impressed with their athletic abilities and how they seemed to effortlessly to flow to great heights and land without a sound.”
At the core of Shen Yun’s performance is classical Chinese dance, says the Shen Yun website, with its explosive techniques, synchronized movements, enchanting elegance and expressive powers. In a collection of short pieces, audiences travel from the Himalayas to tropical lake-filled regions; from the legends of the culture’s creation, to contemporary tales of courage; from the highest heavens down to the dusty plateaus of the Middle Kingdom.
Mr. Ross said, “The degree with which they told stories without words, it was very enjoyable. There was humor there was pathos, tragedy and uplifting renewal.”
Classical Chinese dance, with a history of thousands of years, became a complete system of dance that “is rich with expressive power.” The website continues, “Through expression of bearing and form, beautiful dance movement bringS out the inner meaning of intrinsic thoughts and feelings, reflecting the intricacies of human nature, the standard for human conduct, moral concepts, mental state, and one’s value system.”
As a graphic designer, Mr. Ross was also impressed with the high tech digital backdrop. “I thought it was very creative how the backdrops were integrated with the foreground, the two dimensional integrating with the three dimensional, and people seeming to come out of the depth of the landscape.”
With state-of-the-art graphics technology, Shen Yun’s digital-backdrop team creates vividly animated settings, extending the stage and transporting the audience not only to China’s multifarious geographical regions but also to realms where heaven and earth are one. These digital backdrop designs complement and synchronize all aspects of the performance: the characters, color of the costumes, specific dance movements, props, lighting, the story being told, particular notes played by the orchestra, and special audio effects.
Ms. Ross added: “They did such a good job. It was beautiful with the colors and the costumes added to the overall effect of it, really brought it to life and they [the dancers] were beautiful the girls up there and the guys, altogether, it was very nice.”
Reporting by Mary Silver and Sophia Bronwen.
Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. Shen Yun Performing Arts Touring Company will next perform in Augusta on Tuesday, Jan. 31.
For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.
