CANBERRA, Australia—A chilly autumn night had Canberra audiences more than happy to take up their seats in the packed Canberra Theatre to see Shen Yun Performing Arts on Monday, March 30.
Ms. Alympic, a Canberra public servant with a particular penchant for the arts, came to see something different and was not disappointed.
“The dancing is fantastic. The costumes are brilliant. I loved the costumes—they are gorgeous,” she said.
Ms. Alympic’s comments came with some authority as she had previously been artistic director for the Adelaide Folkloric Society and had seen many groups audition.
Shen Yun rated very high, she said. “Overall, it was fantastic.”
Tanya, of Indian nationality, also enjoyed the show, saying that it was “the gentleness, the active flow of it” that was her first impression.
Describing herself as “an artist at heart,” Tanya said she loved dancing and that was why she had come to see Shen Yun.
The dancing was “wonderfully light and athletic and gorgeous,” she said, noting the Eastern influences and the range of “artistic hand movements.”
Unfamiliar with Chinese culture, Tanya said she felt she was getting a glimpse of it through Shen Yun’s performance. “I liked the mythology coming in, I like all that.
“I loved that court scene with a number of costumes, [referring to the opening scene, The Five Millennia Begin] and that very sad one about following your spiritual [path] and then being punished for it [Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution]. I think that little child was magnificent.”
Tanya noted the digital backdrops, which she said were “beautifully done.” “They certainly incorporate the technical things and the electronic pictures with reality—that was done very well.
“I loved the tenor and the soprano. I could sit and listen to that for a long time.
“It doesn’t matter that the language is different. I still enjoyed it very much,” she said.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of the Shen Yun Performing Arts 2009 World Tour. For more information please visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.
