ORANGE PARK, Fla.—Media executive Luis Goicouria and high school teacher Darla March were both deeply impressed by Shen Yun Performing Arts after attending the company’s second show at the Thrasher-Horne Center in Orange Park on Jan. 29.
“It’s truly remarkable. And I’m really impressed with all the techniques and the level of energy. And it’s beautiful,” Ms. March said.
For its 2025 touring season, Shen Yun’s eight equally sized companies are scheduled to perform in over 200 cities worldwide.
As someone very familiar with media and theatrical production, Mr. Goicouria thought every aspect of Shen Yun was beautiful and “very nicely done.”
The dancers’ technique is “incredible. I mean, I’m amazed by their skill. Graceful and powerful and beautiful.”
This, combined with Shen Yun’s 3D animated backdrop, helps the audience grasp the stories clearly, even if they’re not familiar with Chinese culture.
“It’s great. The choreography is beautiful, and I like that they explain what you’re going to see [and] what the story is behind it. I think the graphics behind are beautiful as well and very well incorporated into the whole production.”
“I think the orchestra sounds beautiful. … They played fantastic,” he said, adding that the music was beautiful and layered, and accompanied the dancing perfectly.
Using classical Western orchestration as the foundation, the company’s original compositions highlight traditional Chinese instruments such as the two-stringed erhu and the pipa—an ancient Chinese lute. Bringing to its audience the best of both worlds.
Reflecting on the company’s mission to bring back traditional Chinese culture and showcase China before communism, Mr. Goicouria said he “enjoyed it very much.”
“It’s very different from anything I’ve seen. And I like to experience other cultures. And that’s one of my favorite parts about it, is learning something new,” he explained.