WELLINGTON, New Zealand—Direct from full house shows in Brisbane, Shen Yun Performing Arts Touring Company opened at the iconic St. James Theatre this evening, Feb. 5.
Colin Ross, Seresin’s estate manager in the mountain peaks of Marlborough, and his wife Diana who works in hospitality, appreciated the message conveyed by the New York-based company’s performance.
“Energetic and entertaining with a nice message embedded inside as well … truth, compassion and tolerance,” said Mr. Ross at intermission.
According to the Shen Yun website, the highly-acclaimed performance features the world’s foremost classically trained dancers, a unique orchestra blending the sounds of both East and West, breathtaking backdrops, splendid costumes, singers—together creating an experience that’s leaving millions around the world in awe.
“They portrayed a lot of good positive elements of China going back through thousands of years in an entertaining light fashion and I guess they were trying to attach some of those modern messages to that history—anyway it was a good show,” Mr. Ross said.
His wife said the entire Shen Yun presentation was “an amazing energetic spectacle—hugely so,” she added.
“They are all talented and it’s vibrant—it’s actually quite uplifting. I love the fact that there were comical elements to it as well.”
“But the dance just has me fascinated. As Colin said there are messages there and I think that that’s gorgeous, but the costume, the colour—that’s the sort of thing that really has taken me … actually how they are using the backdrop as well, the screen.”
Projected behind the dancers, the hi-tech images lift the stage and set it amidst blossoming landscapes, deep forests, Mongolian prairies, or celestial paradises.
“That’s done brilliantly, as the dancers are jumping off, and off it goes—I didn’t anticipate that as being part of it but energetic and brilliant. Looking forward to the second half,” Mrs. Ross said. “I think that the vast majority of the people would be saying a very similar thing—it is a brilliant thing.”
She would “certainly recommend” people to come and see Shen Yun. “Just that it is [a] really worthwhile spectacle, I mean given the opportunity to something this different, this calibre—yes see it, yes definitely ‘See it.’”
Mr. Ross said he was glad to have had the opportunity to see the show for themselves. “It is wonderful that there’s shows of this calibre come and visit such a small country—and this city.”
Reporting by Margo MacVicar and Raiatea Tahana-Reese.
Shen Yun will be performing at the St. James Theatre, Wellington on 5 to 6 February 2013 and the 8 to 9 February at the Civic Theatre, Auckland.
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
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