ESCONDIDO, Calif.—“We love it—we are attracted to the beauty, the movement, the grace, the strength of the performance,” said Mark Fogg, a senior technical editor for a large company.
Mr. Fogg had come to the California Center for the Arts, Escondido, on Saturday, Jan. 21, to see Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company with his family—his wife, Tameral Fogg, a lawyer, and their daughter, who attends University of California, San Diego, where she is a student of theater, arts, and dance.
“We just think as far as art goes, it’s absolutely beautiful,” Mr. Fogg added.
Shen Yun showcases classical Chinese dance and music in line with their mission to revive 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture lost during the Cultural Revolution and under 60 years of communist rule in China.
“I like learning about the culture,” said Mrs. Fogg, adding that she appreciated the short narrative given by Shen Yun’s emcees that explained each program before it began.
The performance was not only beautiful, said Mrs. Fogg, it was “meaningful.”
The Fogg couple’s daughter was enchanted by the way the costumes flowed as the dancers moved.
In the dance Sleeves of Silk, the sleeves of the gowns act as extensions of the dancers’ arms, lingering in the air long after the movement is finished, says Shen Yun’s program.
“Their sleeves were pretty,” she said, explaining that she was intrigued by the way the dancers manipulated the sleeves.
Shen Yun was such a large-scale performance “that it’s mind boggling,” she said. “I get lost in it.”
Classical Chinese dance has its foundation in bearing, form, and technical skill. Leading from these central features are movements and postures, as well as jumping and tumbling techniques, all of which require rigorous training, says Shen Yun’s website.
“It’s clear they [the performers] enjoy what they are doing. It’s clear this isn’t just a job. They really enjoy it,” said Mr. Fogg.
The Fogg family had been using binoculars to observe the performers.
“We like to look at their [the dancers’] faces,” said the daughter.
“And it’s not just dancing. It’s acting,” said Mrs. Fogg. “It’s a complete performance.”
“It’s hard to believe that such a thing isn’t allowed in China nowadays,” said Mr. Fogg thoughtfully.
Shen Yun Performing Arts can only be seen outside of China because the values it espouses do not fit with the Chinese Communist Party atheistic worldview.
“Why lose that much culture, that much tradition? That much beauty and grace … simply because it doesn’t fit your idea of what a modern society should be?” asked Mr. Fogg.
Reporting by Alex Li and Diane Cordemans.
Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company will next perform in Phoenix, at the ASU Gammage, Jan. 27 to 29.
For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3WTKCEA4tE[/video]
