THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.—Acclaimed music producer and singer Frank Gari was very happy to be able to see Shen Yun Performing Arts’ sold-out performance at the Fred Kavli Theatre on Jan. 23.
“Absolutely spectacular. Absolutely wonderful. I’m so happy my wife brought me here tonight,” said Mr. Gari.
Frank Gari was a popular singer and songwriter in the late 1950s and early 1960s. He then started writing jingles for television commercials and is now well-known for composing and producing music for television. He has been awarded the prestigious Life Time Achievement award from the broadcast industry.
Mr. Gari and his wife attended Shen Yun’s second performance in Thousand Oaks on Wednesday evening.
Shen Yun Performing Arts states that its mission is to revive 5,000 years of divinely inspired traditional Chinese culture through the universal language of music and dance.
A Shen Yun performance employs a full orchestra to accompany the dances, which is something Mr. Gari had not seen in the theater for a long time. “It was just wonderful,” he said.
Mr. Gari thought the music was very well orchestrated, with beautiful melodies that are pleasing to the ear.
Shen Yun also features solo vocalists. “The singers! The singers were magnificent,” he said. “The two sopranos were absolutely sensational.”
“I also like the touch of the two people on stage, in between each act,” he said. “It was wonderful, the storytelling.”
Two emcees come out between numbers to explain the intricacies of the upcoming dance or song. Each dance piece in Shen Yun has a separate theme, with different costumes, colors and music, and many tell a story from Chinese history.
“I’ve loved Chinese culture ever since I was a little boy. I love the whole art of it. I love oriental food! I just love it all,” he said.
He highly recommended Shen Yun. “Everyone should come if they enjoy beautiful dancing. … The music is great, the dancing is great, the costumes are great, the set design is great. I love it all!”
Reporting by Yaning Liu and Sarah Le.
Shen Yun Performing Arts, based in New York, tours the world on a mission to revive traditional Chinese culture.
Shen Yun Touring Company will be at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in downtown Los Angeles, Jan. 25 to 27. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
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