SCHENECTADY, N.Y.—Tom Russell, a dance instructor, and his wife Tamara, an engineer, had a wonderful time at Shen Yun Performing Arts on April 23, at the Proctors.
“It was absolutely beautiful. The colors, the artistry, the story. I just loved every bit of it. It was our first time seeing the show,” Mrs. Russell said at the end of the evening.
“It was just so beautiful that I was smiling the entire show. It just fills you with joy and happiness.”
According to its website, the name ‘Shen Yun” translates directly into “the beauty of divine beings dancing.” Based in New York, the artists have made it their mission to revive, through dance and music, China’s divinely inspired civilization to its pre-communist glory.
As a dance instructor, Mr. Russell thought the performers’ talent were “Unbelievable.” He enjoyed “watching the expressions on the [artists’] faces.”
“I don’t think the ladies get enough applause because they are beautiful. They’re jumping as high as the men—the artistry, the formation. Unbelievable,” he expressed.
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.
“The orchestra was unbelievable. The music just filled up the dance,” he exclaimed. “[The erhu] blew me away. That was phenomenal. The whole thing about that instrument. … I can’t believe the sound that came out of that.”
The erhu is a 4,000-year-old Chinese instrument that mimics the human voice. Though it only has two strings, it is capable of expressing a wide range of emotions, resonating with the profound depths of the human soul.
Mrs. Russell, too, was impressed by Shen Yun’s mixture of Western orchestration with traditional Chinese instruments.
The couple were very grateful to have the opportunity to experience Shen Yun.
“I love seeing the joy of dancing on their faces as they were. We were fortunate to be sitting so close that we could see everybody’s expression,” Mrs. Russell added.
“The beauty of the movement, everything about them, obviously they’re professionals. They’ve been studying very hard and honing their crafts, and it showed in everything. Just seeing that joy come through was really beautiful.”
