SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

‘Every Piece Was Just Magical,’ Says Actress

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‘Every Piece Was Just Magical,’ Says Actress
Aaron Rayburn and Sara Mirasola (R) enjoyed Shen Yun's matinee at the Linda Ronstadt Music Hall in Tucson, Ariz., on Feb. 11, 2024. Jane Yang/The Epoch Times
TUCSON, Ariz.—Sara Mirasola, an actress, standup comedian, and former dancer, had eagerly awaited the opportunity to see Shen Yun Performing Arts since 2007. On the afternoon of Feb. 11, she finally got her chance at the Linda Ronstadt Music Hall.

The show was everything she had dreamed it would be.

“When I found out we had tickets, I started to cry, and I just continued crying throughout the entire show. I was trying so hard not to start crying loudly in the middle,” she exclaimed.

“Oh my god, it was so beautiful. Especially the ethnic pieces—I loved the [water] sleeves dance and the yellow blossoms. The men’s Mongolian dance was gorgeous, too. Every piece was just magical.”

Based in New York, Shen Yun artists are highly trained in classical Chinese dance. Dating back thousands of years, it is one of the most expressive art forms in the world.
The performance is comprised of a series of short pieces that take its audience on a ride through the dynasties and across the vast regions of China. Using classical Chinese, folk, and ethnic dances, as well as solo musical performances, Shen Yun tells tales from ancient times to the modern day.

“I started crying in the opening [program] showing divine beings coming to earth. It was gorgeous. I’ve never seen any combination of ribbons and sleeves with movements so precise—it made everything flow perfectly,” Ms. Mirasola said, adding that she felt Shen Yun’s dance and music were “very healing.”

“I found it quite interesting when the [host] mentioned later that music is traditionally used as medicine. I really believe that it is.”

She especially enjoyed the solo musical performance by the erhu, an ancient Chinese instrument that is reminiscent of the human voice.

Though it only has two strings, the erhu is capable of expressing a wide range of emotions, resonating with the profound depths of the human soul.

“I started crying in the middle of that piece as well. So many emotions—It didn’t get too sorrowful at any point, but just this full plethora of emotions with only two strings—and the [performer] was able to move so fast to create joy and happiness,” she said.

Having studied dance for 15 years, Ms. Mirasola said she paid particular attention to the dancers’ “every hand position, every foot position, and extensions.”

“The dancer that was able to do three handsprings and a full backflip with extended legs was just breathtaking,” she said.

“Then, to get an entire stage of people to do the same movement and move at the same time to create a perfect line—it was gorgeous. It was so gorgeous.”

Referring to Shen Yun’s mission to revive China’s 5,000 years of divinely-inspired culture and bring back traditional moral values, Ms. Mirasola said the message resonated with her.

“A couple of pieces talked about helping people. I definitely come from a place of feeling that we can all be divine beings and learn from Creation in order to make the world a better place. It felt very powerful to me,” she said.

The message “is definitely needed because when humans don’t help each other, that’s where things fall apart and fall into disrepair.”

Ms. Mirasola said she would like to thank all Shen Yun performers for their efforts.

“I want to tell them how much I appreciate them, how beautiful they were, and I respect all their time and dedication that they’ve put in all these years,” she said.

“I want to tell them thank you from the bottom of my heart, and I absolutely loved it. I wish I could hug every single one of them.”

Reporting by NTD, Jane Yang, and Jennifer Tseng.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
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