NEW YORK—Author Dawn Gallagher said the beauty of the Shen Yun Performing Arts Company astounded her, after their performance at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center on Friday, June 24.
Ms. Gallagher is someone who cares and thinks deeply about beauty and the world in which she lives. Her most recent work, Nature’s Beauty Secrets, explains how health and beauty may be sought through natural means.
Ms. Gallagher expressed her thoughts on the evening’s performance:
“I thought it was one of the most amazing performances I’ve ever seen. I think the Chinese culture is so beautiful; these women touched my heart. The dancers touched my heart so much. The dance with the flowers and the scarves and the cherry blossoms was so beautiful, it just melted me.”
Her husband has lived in China, speaks fluent Chinese, and has collected many books on Chinese culture Ms. Gallagher said, adding to their inventory of Chinese art.
“It’s a beautiful culture. It gives me inspiration of beauty, and life, and love. I felt a lot of love. In the performance I felt like they were putting so much of their… not only their body; they’re dancers—but their soul… like so much soul and so much passion was going into the performance,” she said.
“And just the faces, they looked full of light and full of … radiance. It was so beautiful. I was very touched by it; very, very touched.”
The New York based Shen Yun showcased highlights taken from the last five years of their all-original programs during the weekend performances. According to the company’s website, Shen Yun’s mission is to reawaken China’s divinely-inspired cultural heritage, much of which has been lost under 60-plus years of communist rule.
The show provides a glimpse into the 5,000-year history of China, portrayed in a collection of story-based dances by exquisitely costumed dancers.
The dances are choreographed to blend perfectly with digitally enhanced backdrops and are supported by the Shen Yun Orchestra’s unique fusion of Chinese and Western instruments.
Ms. Gallagher wasn’t the only audience member impressed by the performance. The full theater gave standing ovations and prolonged applause during two curtain calls. They also enthusiastically cheered and applauded in between performances.
Concluding her thoughts with certainty, Ms. Gallagher said, “I’ll come again next year.”
Over the years, Ms. Gallagher has been featured in many magazines and newspapers, and on radio and television shows discussing her views on health and beauty; including segments on Good Morning America, Food 911, The Today Show, and Live with Regis and Kelly, as well as in recent articles in the New York Times and the Chicago Tribune.
She was also a contributing editor for Alternative Medicine Magazine, and Hampton Jitney magazine.
Reporting by Joshua Philipp.
Shen Yun Performing Arts will perform at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center through Sunday, June 26. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
