WASHINGTON—Systems engineer Mr. Bob Wright enjoyed the traditional dance of Shen Yun’s performance Thursday evening Jan. 31 at the Kennedy Center.
Shen Yun performs Chinese dance in three forms: classical, folk, and ethnic. Mr. Wright enjoyed the traditional dancing performed by Shen Yun.
“Classical Chinese dance has a long history of thousands of years, passed down continuously within the imperial palace and ancient Chinese theater and opera.” The classical dance is a complete system of dance that expresses traditional aesthetics through its unique movements, rhythms, and inner meaning, according to Shen Yun’s website.
In particular, Mr. Wright especially liked the water sleeves used in some of the dances. These sleeves express “the aesthetic ideals of classical Chinese dance: gentleness, grace, and elegance,” says the group’s site.
In addition to Chinese dance, Shen Yun Performing Arts also includes several vocal soloists. They sing in the bel canto style, singing in Chinese with an English translation on the backdrop behind them.
Mr. Wright said he was particularly touched by some of the songs performed by soloists. “They were very powerful, the way the soloists sang, and the words were very nice and meaningful,” said Mr. Wright.
For Mr. Wright the lyrics spoke to a universal shared human experience about suffering, the divine, and heaven.
A couple of the dances also highlight the persecution of the spiritual practice of Falun Dafa, a discipline of meditation and cultivation of the mind and body. Adherents of the practice in China are harassed and persecuted by the Chinese regime. Mr. Wright said he was interested to learn about Falun Dafa and what it is about.
He plans to report back to friends who are interested to hear his thoughts, “I will be telling them how good it is,” Mr. Wright said.
He would tell them that if they want to see a traditional show that will display the culture and dance of 5,000 years of history, then they should see Shen Yun.
With reporting by NTD Television and Nicholas Zifcak.
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. Shen Yun New York Company is performing in Washington D.C. at the Kennedy Center Opera House from Jan 29 -- Feb 3 For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
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