PHILADELPHIA—Isabelle O’Donnell and Ricardo Estrada are both painters who take their inspiration from a variety of sources. Wednesday night, Feb. 23, they were inspired by Shen Yun Performing Arts.
“I really liked the sense of heaven and … I think it’s great explaining the diversity of Chinese culture, which people don’t really know. I liked the colors, as artists, the costumes are just amazing, really beautiful,” said Ms. O’Donnell.
The New York-based Shen Yun boasts three equally-large companies that tour the world simultaneously. Wednesday’s performance at the glorious Academy of Music in Philadelphia was by the Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company.
Shen Yun’s dance and music performances showcase 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture, through the expert combination of original musical scores, colorful costumes, intricately choreographed movement, and vivid state-of-the-art backdrops.
“I think the dancing is beautiful,” said Mr. Estrada, a Mexican-American artist from Los Angeles.
Mr. Estrada said he used to ice dance, and ballroom dance. He taught his daughter to dance also—so he could relate to the degree of difficulty of the dances.
“I really appreciate the athleticism of both the males and the females, it’s just fantastic,” he said.
Ms. O’Donnell said she felt energized by the performance, “both in heart and spirit.”
“This energy is kind of like humankind, the human spirit,” she added.
She reflected that maybe the good energy would inspire Chinese who are suffering from repression in China.
Reporting by Pamela Tsai and Andrea Hayley
For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org .
