NEW YORK—Lee Drexler, art appraiser and director of Esquire Appraisals, found inspiration and ideas for a show she will be hosting in late July whilst watching Shen Yun’s world tour highlights performance at the Lincoln Center on Thursday night.
“I love the artwork here ... We’re going to be using some of the same techniques of a scene in the back,” Ms. Drexler said, referring to the hi-tech digital backdrop that accompanies every Shen Yun performance.
Ms. Drexler and her husband, Jim Cohen, have experienced many shows during their travels all over the world for work and leisure, and appreciated the fact that Shen Yun is “culturally oriented.”
“We’ve been to 80 countries so we’re interested in different cultures, so we’ve traveled a lot,” Ms. Drexler said.
Mr. Cohen is an attorney and songwriter, and believes in human rights and freedom.
“A lot of my personal philosophy has to do with freedom, responsibility,“ he said. ”I think it’s interesting to find the struggle continues now.”
Mr. Cohen was referring to the dance Our Story. This piece is based on the true story of a teacher who practices the spiritual discipline Falun Dafa. She teaches her students to live by the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance, but is persecuted for her faith by the communist regime.
Reporting by Tracey Zhu and Kristina Skorbach.
Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company will perform at the David H. Koch Theater, Lincoln Center, New York, June 23-26. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
