WATERBURY, Conn.—Shen Yun Performing Arts struck a chord with Peter LaPlaca, professor of management and marketing at the University of Hartford.
The traditional Chinese culture permeating the performance stuck out to Mr. LaPlaca as a better representation of being in tune with nature than people are today.
“I think the pace is so much more natural than we have today,” he said. “It’s not rushed, it’s a nice story, it flows.”
New York-based Shen Yun tours the world presenting 5,000 years of divinely inspired culture, through classical Chinese dance, an ancient art form nearly as old as the culture itself.
The dancers, adorned with handmade costumes, are accompanied by digital backdrops, vocal soloists, and an orchestra the melds classical Chinese and Western instruments.
Sherry LaPlaca said the performance was excellent and enjoyed the variety. Mini drama dance pieces, less than 10 minutes each, depict different stories and legends from the vast lexicon of Chinese lore, interspersed with ethnic and folk dances from some of the 55 officially recognized ethnic minorities in China.
Mrs. LaPlaca also said she loved the scenery on the backdrops, which in some dances becomes interactive with the dancers: characters on the screen appear to become dancers on stage in the blink of an eye.
“It’s very inspiring,” she said. “I think we’re going to leave here feeling happy—it’s really uplifting.”
Bruce and Jenny Blouin also attended and enjoyed Shen Yun on Thursday evening at the Palace Theater.
“It was just ‘wow’,” said Mrs. Blouin, a mobile app developer. “I would definitely see it again and again and again. And I would tell people that I know: Go see the show. Absolutely.”
Mr. Blouin, an electrical engineer, said he enjoyed the dance When the Shaolin Monks Protected the Emperor, which sheds light on an unusual aspect of the famed Shaolin monastery: its monks eat meat, according to Shen Yun’s program.
“The show was fabulous. It was spectacular,” he said. “The athleticism and the dance was incredible—stuff you don’t see ever, ever. We'll come back now that we know it’s a new show every time.”
Reporting by Mike Chen, Gary Du, and Zachary Stieber.
Shen Yun Performing Arts, based in New York, tours the world on a mission to revive traditional Chinese culture. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
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