(Clearwisdom.net) On its last night in the area, Mr. Kang, the mayor of Irvine, a major California city in Orange County, came to enjoy Shen Yun Performing Arts' presentation of traditional Chinese culture through dance and music.

The mayor of Irvine, Mr. Kang

"It's fascinating," said Mayor Kang. "I'm Korean, so we share many of the same customs, but I think, all in all, it really promotes the culture. It's really interesting to learn about the history of China.

"It was very impressive to find so much of the professional dances,and the use of drums, and also [the] erhu," he said. The erhu is a two-stringed instrument that is played with a bow and is capable of producing sounds with a very vocal quality.

Beyond educating about traditional culture, however, the mayor felt that the show could help people to coexist more harmoniously. "So I think, through culture, we can transcend different cultural differences and come together and learn [from] each other, and live together here in the same community," he said.

Ms. Sharon Quirk is the former mayor of Fullerton in Orange County and currently serves as a council member in Fullerton. It was the first time she had seen the world renowned Shen Yun, and she thought the show was wonderful. She said the traditional Chinese dances were "very, very beautiful."

Ms. Sharon Quirk, former mayor of Fullerton in Orange County and now a council member in Fullerton

Ms. Quirk said, "I had no idea how intricate it is [Chinese classical dance]." She described the dances as "graceful, elegant, beautiful, incredible," and the costumes "are just spectacular."

She added, "I'm amazed at how graceful the male dancers are. I really didn't expect that ... and [the dancers were all] in sync [and at] a very, very high level.

"My son takes Taekwondo and will be performing for a black belt, so he's here and very excited by it."

"I think it's intriguing, wonderful--enjoyed it very much!" said Mr. Keator, a retired bank president who was at the show with his wife; their son, David; his friend, Stephanie; and her grandmother, Mrs. Troke.

Mr. Keator(R), son David in the middle, and the family

Mr. Keator said, "The dances and the performances are new, I've never seen anything like that before. The music is very beautiful as well. The two-string soloist [erhu] was wonderful. I had never heard the instrument before. I've heard the sound, but didn't know where it was coming from, [nor] the instrument that was making it."

His wife thought the show was "so peaceful and beautiful, and so graceful. You can understand the story from just watching what they do, you can pick up this whole thing. I think it's wonderful, very emotional."

Mrs. Keator added, "This was the first time I've experienced anything like this. I didn't really know what I was going to be seeing here--my son invited us to come. It's just been wonderful, I've enjoyed it thoroughly."

Their son, David, a medical researcher at a university in California, thought the show was great. "I think it's really interesting to learn a little about the history of China. I also think it's interesting that this show can express itself in the West, where maybe it can't express itself in China right now."

David was intrigued with the backdrops that play an integral part of each performance. "I do like that. As people kind of disappear on the stage, they reappear on the screen and float away. That was interesting."

He said that he learned about the show at a Kung Fu tournament in Pasadena, where he was handed a flier. He made sure to invite everyone.

His friend, Stephanie, said enthusiastically, "It's wonderful, beautiful. I've never seen anything like this, I've never been to a show like this, so I'm really enjoying it. I didn't know what to expect at all, so the whole thing is very new, very impressive. The female vocalist was amazing. I couldn't believe her voice."

Grandmother Troke, 83, loved the show and summed it up, "The grace and beauty of it was overwhelming."

Source: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/16782/
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