LONG BEACH, Calif.—TV director Declan Lowney saw Shen Yun Performing Arts for the first time without knowing what to expect.
“It’s fantastic. The dancing, the whole theatrical aspect of it is really, really, beautiful to watch. So beautifully choreographed and so beautifully put together. Also, I love the music,” said Mr. Lowney, who directed and served as production supervisor on the hit show “Ted Lasso.” He attended
Shen Yun with a friend on March 23 at the Terrace Theater.
“It’s all fascinating. It’s all fascinating to watch,” he said.
New York-based Shen Yun is the world’s top classical Chinese dance company. Through
music and
dance, Shen Yun’s mission is to show audiences the beauty of China before communism.
Mr. Lowney said he was surprised to learn about Shen Yun’s grand
mission.
“It’s very exciting to see something like that happening, especially these days,” he said.
Once known as the “land of the Divine,” China before communism was a spiritual civilization, and one that was continuous for 5,000 years.
This, too, was new to Mr. Lowney, who said he learned of the
spiritual nature of the civilization during the performance, as well as the fact that Shen Yun cannot perform in China today, where it is banned by the communist regime.
Mr. Lowney said the culture was shown through the colors, costumes, and set design, which were “very unique.”
“They’re uniquely Chinese and quite alien to us, but it’s beautiful to see something that’s so authentic,” he said.
Like many audience members, Armando de la Libertad had attended Shen Yun for the first time with high expectations, and still found that they had exceeded.
“It’s very clever and very fun,” said Mr. de la Libertad, who works in corporate philanthropy. He attended the matinee performance with his wife, son, and daughter. “I think it’s wonderful to educate people about a culture that we may not be as familiar with and to learn about some
history and some of the topics that are of concern to people from China.”
During the performance, Mr. learned new things about traditional Chinese culture, and also found commonality in the spirituality of that divinely inspired culture.
“I think it’s wonderful to get people to think and reflect. on what they believe and how other people might also believe similar things about why we’re here,” he said.
Reporting by Alice Sun and Catherine Yang.
