(Clearwisdom.net) Ms. Mendez, Director of the Young Pianists Beethoven Competition, was in the audience on Saturday May 16 at the San José Center for the Performing Arts to watch the Shen Yun Performing Arts show.

Ms. Mendez was very pleased to watch the show, "This was a beautiful show tonight. We are not exposed to this side of Chinese culture. And I understand that the people [performers] are from all parts of the world. I think it's magnificent, very, very beautiful. I was very impressed, particularly by the person who played the two stringed instrument [erhu]. It was fabulous playing."

Ms. Mendez, director of the Young Pianists Beethoven Competition

Ms. Mendez was surprised by the two-stringed Chinese erhu, "Oh, her playing conveyed the emotions very well. It was very sensitive. You could follow really what she was feeling through the music. ... It was moving, yes absolutely!"

She added, "The same with the singers. Particularly the first one; I was impressed by the quality of her voice, the artistic range she had and by the song itself, very beautiful. The orchestra was very good. It was excellent ... The conductor is excellent and also the instruments. ... As was said by the person on the stage about the relationship of the music with medicine, you can feel that connection, particularly with the soul."

Commenting on the unique backdrops, Ms. Mendez said, "The background imagery is excellent. I was following very closely. They are changing images and also the projection was from another dimension and then it became part of the present scene. That idea is really very artistic, very well done. Because you see the background is historical or the perspective in time, and then everything flows into the present. Because it is developing on the stage, so that was really wonderful."

"You know there was a lot of spirituality in here. It is evident to me that there is a sense of depth that is not only sensitive or emotional. But there is something that has to do with spirituality," she said.

Ms. Mendez thought that the dance "Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution" was "Wonderful." The dance tells the contemporary story of a father who is persecuted for practicing Falun Gong. She felt the piece was "really very moving. Because, you know, the relationship with [the] story, with [the] music makes it very understandable for us because you can follow the story very clearly with the music and the dancing, because they are very concrete, very definite with their movements."

"I understand that each movement of the hand, for instance, has some particular meaning. But even without knowing it, it projects something that you connect with. It was very, very well done. It was a beautiful experience."

Arts Commissioner: "Everyone should experience this! Thank you!"

Ms. Becky Strauss, Arts Commissioner for the City of Milpitas, was amazed by what she saw, "I'm so happy to be here. I have enjoyed this beautiful show. This was absolutely beautiful, and I always enjoy the message-that goodness prevails, and that there is hope in this world."

She said, "It's so pure and good and very refreshing, and not complicated. I will be back next year again. Everyone should experience this. It's exhilarating. Thank you for putting on such a wonderful production. I feel great. It leaves you with a very good feeling!"

Former Prima Ballerina: "All was excellent and perfect"

Ms. Peci, a former prima ballerina and soloist with The Romanian Theatre of Opera, as well as The Hungarian Opera House, was so impressed after seeing Shen Yun, "I was impressed not only with the quality of the performance, but also with the performers themselves. ... [It was] very good."

Ms. Peci loved the story-based dances, "Very well-performed. Costumes, colors, and technical arrangements are very impressive."

She was impressed by the energetic techniques and expressiveness of the male dancers in "Dance of the Snow-Capped Mountain." "Very strong and well-choreographed. This is really the merit of the choreographers. You can tell that a lot of work and care have been put into this show. All was excellent and perfect!"

Veteran South American Dancer: "Divine!"

Ms. Valenga, a veteran dancer from South America, who performs Spanish and Argentinean indigenous folk dances as a ballerina and folk dancer, was in the audience.

Ms. Valenga was visibly moved after seeing Shen Yun, and felt that the show was "Divine - - You can feel the special spirit and message. The message that I get from the dance is healing energy. It's taking me for a ride through China. I have a lot of emotions right now about what I am seeing. The choreography - - all the time I see nature. I see the creation."

"The plants, everything is coordinated with nature. The colors, the clothes they are wearing. The choreography imitating nature like flowers, birds ..." Ms. Valenga said.

Mother: "Highly recommend it!"

Ms. Sentom, a purchaser for a major video company, and her 5-year-old daughter, Anna, were also in the audience. Little Anna is very interested in dance and music.

Ms. Sentom shared how much they were both enjoying the show. As Anna imitated some of the dancers movements, demonstrating what she had already learned, Ms. Sentom said, "For us, it's new culturally. It's not something that we've seen before. So I am learning quite a bit about the different styles, especially in Mongolian Chopsticks."

"The most moving one was about the persecution. About how having faith in goodness and how that prevails. I thought that was really moving. I enjoyed that particular piece. Very emotional! I liked it, especially in light of everything that is going on all over the world," Ms. Sentom said, referring the dance "Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution."

"The costumes were beautiful. This is the first time we have come to anything like this," she shared.

Ms. Sentom believes the show is for all ages and would "highly recommend it, especially for ... little children. I think it's good to expose the younger generation to [this]."

And as her daughter Anna expressed her wish to be a Shen Yun dancer when she grows up, her mother was happy with that idea. The little girl exclaimed, "Yes!"

Source: http://theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/16928/
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