MIAMI—Phillipe Obregon, a dancer and casting director, had heard about Shen Yun Performing Arts on social media long ago and had wanted to see it ever since. On Jan. 10, at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, he finally got the chance. Mr. Obregon was enthralled.
“How everyone connected together—the music, the singing, and the dance—in a spiritual way was beautiful, and very interesting,” he said.
“I loved watching everyone dance. I was very impressed with the male dancers. [They have] very good techniques but also, they’re doing a lot of acrobatics. That was very impressive. Ladies—they were amazing. I loved how they [danced] with their arms, and still [stayed] in character. So yeah, everything was beautiful.”
Based in New York, Shen Yun artists are masters of classical Chinese dance, an ancient and highly expressive art form dating back thousands of years. Unlike the modern, military-influenced styles often seen in China today, Shen Yun preserves and performs this tradition in its most authentic form, as it was originally passed down through generations.
Mr. Obregon appreciated that every program had a different personality and that the dances told stories.
“The acting was also very beautiful. It was not just dancing all the time, the dancers put the acting into the dance movements. I was very impressed. It was very nice.”
Shen Yun’s 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.
Reflecting on the artists’ mission to bring back people’s belief in the divine and revive traditional values, Mr. Obregon said he still needed some time to process everything from the performance because it sent “a powerful message about continuing faith and love and support each other.”
In Shen Yun’s story dances, “You see how good things and spiritual things can change the world, so that was very good. It was a powerful message,” he said.
“I’m also a spiritual person, so it was very impressive to see the message. It was beautiful. You [need to] be connected to spiritual things to have happiness in your life—the meditation—that was very important also. It was connecting with me in the show. Very nice.”
Mr. Obregon will be bringing home many inspirations for his future work. He plans on incorporating some of what he’s learned from Shen Yun in his own project coming up.
“There’s more idea about movements, the history, the costumes—it was all so beautiful. The choreography was also amazing,” he said.
Shen Yun gave me “so many inspirations. I have many friends that are coming tomorrow [to see the show,] they’re very excited.”
Shen Yun will host three more performances this weekend in Miami. With a brand-new set of programs each year, there’s always a fresh surprise for both new and returning audiences.
