“It’s a very impressive stagecraft given the limitations that they have,” he said.
“I think the simplification is very poignant, and I think it gets to the core of the story. I know most of these stories growing up, so I think it’s very well done,” he added.
“A lot of the stories that they’re trying to tell can be very complex,” commented Mr. Xiao.
“The fact that they’re able to get to the point of the story without making it so diluted and so convoluted for people to get to,” he added.
Having seen and heard of these attempts to ruin Shen Yun’s performances, Mr. Xiao was even more motivated to see Shen Yun.
“I’m kind of a curious person,” said Mr. Xiao.
“Shen Yun gets a lot of bad rap from the Communist Party, so I wanted to investigate and see for myself if a lot of that bad rap is founded or unfounded,” he continued.
“I think the unfounded attack on the show itself is nothing but a showcase of jealousy and small man behavior,” he added.
“I have a background in film scoring and music composition as well. I work with orchestras on a regular basis. So it’s nice to see. Not only is it just great to have a live orchestra present, but the music itself was scored and composed masterfully and beautifully,” complimented Mr. Xiao.
Shen Yun’s music is all composed by its resident composers. These composers work closely with Shen Yun’s choreographers to create seamless works for audiences.
“It uses a lot of Chinese instruments that [are] compounded with Western instruments and creates a beautiful texture and musical color,” said Mr. Xiao.
Chinese culture is infused with spirituality. This belief in the divine inspires good morals and upholds traditional values.
“You have shared fundamental values with the Western culture,” said Mr. Xiao.
“I think it’s something that I would buy tickets for my friends. Especially anybody who has any sort of fundamental moral principles and religious beliefs. I think it can connect across cultures because you have a central message to tell,” he said.