WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.—Mr. and Mrs. Rivera experienced Shen Yun’s classical Chinese dance and music for the first time on April 30 at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts. Hector Rivera, lawyer and founder of Rivera Law Offices, P.A., said Shen Yun is “refreshingly different.”
“Love it,” he said of the performance. “It’s very different.” “It’s a delight. It’s a visual and audio extravaganza.” “It’s emotional,” he added.
Lourdes Rivera, a pharmacist, agreed, calling the performance gorgeous and the music beautiful.
“The Shen Yun Orchestra combines the spirit, beauty, and distinctiveness of Chinese music with the precision, power, and grandeur of the Western symphony orchestra,” Shen Yun’s website states. “The result—two great traditions producing one refreshing sound.”
Along with appreciating the orchestral arrangements, Mr. and Mrs. Rivera were enthusiastic about the energy and endurance of the dancers. They are members of Shen Yun Performing Arts International Company, one of Shen Yun’s three touring companies, all based in New York.
Mr. Rivera felt the dancers’ energy and was surprised by their stamina. “I couldn’t believe they were still dancing,” he said.
“They are amazing,” Mrs. Rivera said, pointing out how the dancers appeared to be very light.
The Shen Yun website explains, “Classical Chinese dance has its own set of training methods in basic skills and has strict training in both physical expression and specific postures.”
Stunning
“And what they do with the colors and the forms that they make with their dress—it’s just beautiful,” Mr. Rivera said.
It is stunning how the arts can bring such talents and inspiration together, Mrs. Rivera said. She was touched by the performance, calling it a showcase.
She was struck by China’s vast expanse, with its different customs and traditions, different ethnic and folk dances—“really, really beautiful.” “I love it,” she said.
“The many distinctive ethnic groups within China and around her borders provide a wonderful array of material from which to choreograph and compose,” the Shen Yun website states. “These dances might whisk you away to the plains of Tibet, the shores of a Dai village, or the sprawling plains of Mongolia.”
“I want to dance, too,” Mr. Rivera joked. “But she won’t let me.”
Reporting by Jada Yeung and Adam Miller
The final Florida performance of Shen Yun’s 2012–2013 world tour will be in Melbourne, May 2, at the King Center for the Performing Arts.
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.
The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time. We have proudly covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
