BOSTON—Legal professionals were among the many arts lovers who flocked to the Boston Opera House on Sunday to experience Shen Yun Performing Arts.
Kitt Sawitsky, a partner at Goulston & Storrs, one of the country’s leading law firms, attended the performance with his wife Heather, also an attorney who has practiced for over 30 years.
“We’re having a great time, really enjoying the show, really enjoying, particularly, the dancing and the spirit,” Mr. Sawitsky said.
“The colors and the costumes are gorgeous and I like the scenes of China in the background,” added Mrs. Sawitsky, referring to Shen Yun’s digitally animated backdrops.
Mr. Sawitsky was also impressed by the digital backdrops, which display scenes from China’s multifaceted dynasties and geography, and are timed precisely to interact with the dancers, creating the illusion that the artists can jump in and out of the screen.
“The special effects are very well integrated with the dance, I’ve never seen a screen behind with the dancers coming out—it works,” he said.
Ms. Sawitsky enjoyed the variety of emotions the dancers were able to portray through the story-based dance.
“There is more than one spirit, I think they convey a lot of emotion very, very well—the happiness, the fear, the celebration—it’s all very good,” she said.
The bilingual emcees, who explain each dance in English and Chinese before it plays out on stage was a nice complement to the dance, added Mr. Sawitsky.
“The are very good, very helpful, and they represent a combination of two cultures very nicely,” he said.
New York-based Shen Yun is a world-renowned classical Chinese dance and music company, with a mission to revive 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture.
Tracy Klay, also a Boston-based attorney, attended the Feb. 10 evening performance with his wife Kim, director of program management at WellPoint, Inc., a leading health insurance company.
One of the most memorable moments in the show for Mr. Klay was a dance entitled, “Sand Monk is Blessed,” which tells the story from the Chinese classic novel “Journey to the West,” of a vicious ogre that is transformed into a divine being.
“That was interesting,” he said. “I thought the interplay between the screen and the actual dancers was very well done.”
Ms. Klay was captivated by classical Chinese dance and folk dance, especially the large group dances.
“I love how they are all in harmony working together—its just beautiful to watch,” she said.
“The dancing is wonderful, the music is just fabulous as well, and the costumes and the sets are spectacular.”
She was also impressed with the dignity and femininity expressed by the female dancers.
“I liked when the women were dancing with the long sleeves. It was just so beautiful and the way they moved with the costumes and the sleeves—very flowing, very beautiful, very graceful.”
Reporting by Huiwen Ji, Hua Chang, and Justina Wheale.
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. Shen Yun will give four shows in Nashville from Feb. 15-17. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
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