PORTLAND, Oregon—Ann Nicgorski, Professor of Art History and Archaeology at Willamette University in Salem, the capital of Oregon, came to Portland to watch Shen Yun with her husband George Stellingwerf and daughter on Saturday, Jan. 8.
Ms. Nicgorski, who is a chair of Art History Classical Studies, including Greek, Roman and Western Medieval Art, was very impressed by the performance.
“We really enjoyed this show. It was just stunning, beautiful and very educational too. I’ve brought along my 8–year-old daughter Irena, who especially enjoyed the plum blossom Dance. She said, ‘Oh mom, now I have something beautiful to dream about.’”
Ms. Nicgorski added that Plum Blossoms was her favorite piece, too, as well as Cloud Maidens, which depicts heavenly maidens, who are “at home in their free and weightless world,” according to the program.
Ms. Nicgorski also enjoyed “the very creative dance in which the Terracotta warriors of the Qin Dynasty come to life in the imagination of the archaeologist.”
She was referring to the piece Recalling the Great Qin, which relates to the Terracotta Army, a vast series of statues made and buried over 2,000 years ago during Qin dynasty. In the piece, an artist who walks into the excavation site is overawed by the scene and recalls his past.
Ms. Nicgorski decided that it would be a great idea to bring her daughter for the next Shen Yun performance. Every year Shen Yun presents an all-new program.
“It was exquisite—offering hope and transcendence on a day when it was much needed,” Ms. Nicgorski concluded.
For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
