(Clearwisdom.net) Shen Yun Performing Arts Touring Company performed one show in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on the evening of March 18 at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center.
Classical Dance Director: "It Was Just Breathtaking"
Ms. Raju, director of an Indian dance school, shared her impression, "You can have the technical aspect. You can know the theory. But you have to dance from the heart, and that's the one thing that was so beautiful about this entire program is that each and every one of the artists ... was dancing from their heart. That comes when you have passion, and that is what makes a show, it makes or breaks it. This show is so from the heart. I mean the hope and everything that they said throughout the entire sequence, you can feel it."
"By the end of the show, you feel very inspired and that can only happen when the artists, the orchestra, and the choreographers have put in more than just the technical aspect, which is the heart and mind. Everything comes together. I don't even know what to say. It was just truly wonderful."
She added, "It was amazing. I loved it! I couldn't take my eyes off of it for even a second, so it was wonderful. It was just breathtaking! It was a big privilege to see this."
Ms. Raju was amazed by the dancer's synchronization. "From a classical point of view, every single dance, every single step was just so beautiful to watch and it was so very creative. I just loved the way they brought everything together and combined it, so it was just really good."
She had something to say about the Shen Yun costumes, "The costumes, wow! The costumes were just phenomenal. I just loved the way they chose certain colors to go with every sequence." She specifically praised the color choices in "Flowing Sleeves" and "Mongolian Chopsticks." "The colors they chose were so wonderful, they really went with every one of the dances, and they were just vibrant." All the costumes are original Shen Yun designs.
Artist: "A Glorious Night"
Henry, a graphic artist, attended the show with his friend, Andrea. "It was beautiful, every minute there was action and music. I love music and the arts. It was very entertaining," Henry said.
Henry, a graphic artist, attended the show with his friend, Andrea
Andrea loved the beauty in the show, saying, "I love Asian culture, so I was really glad they finally came to Oklahoma and it's ... really, really exquisite."
As an artist, Henry thought the digitally enhanced backdrop scenes of vast plains, billowing waves, clouds, majestic palaces, and temples were very impressive.
"The backdrops ... very well done, very interactive, and clear. The clarity--for as big as it was--I was very impressed, and coming from an artist, that means a lot. It was very colorful."
Andrea was also taken by the seamless interchange between screen and stage, "I think it ran very smoothly, even when they changed. It was just awesome. It was so bright and wonderful, and it was really detailed--very fine and very nice."
The erhu player enchanted the audience with her stirring performance.
"Let me say something about the two-stringed erhu. I love that instrument, and whenever I compose, I get a lot of inspiration from it because it is so simple. But then again, it is so complex, so you can get a vast variety of sounds from that little thing ... so I would just sit there and enjoy every minute of it," Henry said.
Andrea agreed. "Yes--the music was amazing! I love the drums ... just the energy of the drums. And the operatic voices were just so powerful and just so soothing, and it was just all so amazing. It is so nice that the show finally came to Tulsa."
Henry said, "The smallest thing in the dances--we watched them, as their heads nodded, or just the flick of the wrist. It was very controlled, and it can relate to my artwork because in art, when you are drawing, you have to take your time if you want to do a masterpiece, and a lot of times I want to rush things. You can tell when I do take the time, so it was an inspiration for me to see that."
Andrea added, "I thought it was very respectful. ... The slight movement that you make means something. Everything, no matter how small, it means something. Whether it is positive or negative, it means something, and it's just so beautiful."
As a singer, Andrea was moved by the impassioned arias sung by the award-winning soloists. "The singing really did touch me. It was just so awesome--just how on-point everyone was, no mess-ups, no flaws. Everything was just picture-perfect, and you couldn't ask for more. We had a glorious night. This was so special for me. I bought the book and am super excited to look over the pictures again."
Choreographer: "The Entire Show Is Really, Really Nice to See"
Ms. Thompson, a dancer, dance teacher, and choreographer from Massachusetts, was very excited to be in Tulsa on the day Shen Yun came to town.
During the intermission Ms. Thompson said, "It is really wonderful. ... The costumes are fabulous. The colors are great, everyone is very together, and the entire show is really, really nice to see. You can tell there is a lot of attention to detail."
Being a choreographer, Ms. Thompson particularly appreciated the work and dedication that had gone into the dances. She said, "Being so synchronized is very, very impressive. It is very difficult to have everybody in large groups so close together with their movements and also to see the talent in even the youngest dancers. It was really nice to see. I like that."
Ms. Thompson appreciated the two masters of ceremonies explaining each program before it was performed, saying, "I read the program beforehand, but it's easy to forget which dance is what. So having an introduction to each of the pieces was very nice. It was very, very useful. It was a lot easier to follow along.
"This show seemed a lot more personal to the culture, whereas some dances are just for show, but this one is more educational. You get to see more of the culture. I have done very limited studies of China, just for college, and to see things that were familiar within the culture--it is very impressive, it is very different, it's nice to see."
Source: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/13956/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/13964/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/13954/
Category: Shen Yun Performing Arts