SYDNEY, Australia—The Shen Yun Performing Arts 2009 World Tour, during its final performance in Australia at the packed Parade Theatre in Kensington, was honored with three curtain calls and resounding applause before the last curtain fell.
Sydney responded to the Shen Yun shows depicting ancient and modern Chinese history by many voices asking the New York-based Shen Yun artists to come back as soon as possible.
Highly acclaimed in Europe and Australia, opera singer Ms. Arax Mansourian of Armenian descent had been looking forward to seeing the show with her husband, Mr. Jacob Kiujian, an artist.
They couldn’t say enough good things about it.
Ms. Mansourian said: “It was very interesting. I was looking forward to seeing this show, because I was always interested in Chinese arts and culture, and I always wanted to see something like this. It was amazing!
“Every number or dance was like a picture, like a fantasy. It was beautiful, it is unusual for this country to see a show like this.”
She was impressed with the dances, the music, and especially the songs.
“The soprano was very beautiful and the tenor was very interesting, Chinese melodies are harmonies, and these Chinese melodies are very similar to their culture, their nature.
“You see their nature very soft, very green, [and] beautiful. And the music is similar—the costumes amazing.”
Audience members loved tenor Mr. Guimin and contralto Ms. Yang, and they received standing ovations and applause during the show. They reciprocated by singing encores.
Ms. Mansourian enjoyed listening to the singers, “Oh, yes, I like them very much. The soprano singer [Cina-ning Hsu] has a beautiful voice. As a teacher of opera singers, I can say she has very good technique—a fantastically beautiful voice.
“The tenor was [great] too. Fantastic, beautiful technique, beautiful colour, and support. Excellent. A beautiful voice.
“I have a lot of students where I am teaching at the institute—classical singing—and I would love to send them to see this show, because their souls would be in a different place. It’s so beautiful, so colourful,” Ms. Mansourin said.
She was aware of China’s 5,000-year history and had always dreamed of going there to visit.
This was her first time seeing the Shen Yun show.
For her, the entire show was a kaleidoscope of colour, and she knew she was seeing a show of world-class artists.
“You know, I always liked Chinese music. And the show is fantastic, because it’s not only music. [It is music, picture, nature, [and] colour. ... It’s a beautiful picture.”
The lyrics of the songs were displayed on the 3-D backdrop in Chinese and English.
“Yes, I could read them. I read the story. Yes, they are beautiful lyrics. Of course, I was trying to read, understand, and imagine how could music follow this text. It was beautiful and fantastic.”
Ms. Mansourian’s husband, Mr. Kiujian, a painter of oil paintings and classical paintings and a graphic artist, said, “It’s amazing.” he said.
His wife said, “I saw my husband was crying after the second number …”
He replied, “I was crying for a while. I was holding back my tears. [During] all of them. It lifted me up so high.
“It lifted my spirit up to heaven, out of this world, and touched my heart, my mind, and gave me peace. I really enjoy it because it was a really honest picture, so I enjoyed it very much.”
Mr. Kiujian enjoyed every part of the show, saying, the “lyrics, everything, dance, colour—the colour is especially beautiful. Everything is fantastic. I am happy that you kept all this culture all these years. It’s amazing. It’s just amazing. All [the scenes]. Each one is unique.
“That was fantastic. It’s magical actually ... Well, I can only congratulate you for all this wonderful work, and that you kept your heritage.
“I think everybody would like to see and listen [to] this type of music. Always.”
With reorting by SOH Radio, a media partner of The Epoch Times
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of the Shen Yun Performing Arts 2009 World Tour. For more information please visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
