(Clearwisdom.net) Beautiful memories will linger in the minds and hearts of those who attended the Shen Yun Performing Arts 2009 Spring Tour show held on May 26, 2009 at the California Center for the Arts in Escondido.

Among the audience was Ms. Fernandez and her daughter Maile. Ms. Fernandez, who previously a modern dancer, currently teaches fitness. She thought Shen Yun was, "Impeccably perfect in all their lines and the singing. I am really enjoying the singing and the music. Everything is really perfect! This is more classical, but very expressive. Very expressive in their movements, but they are classically trained. I can tell--beautiful. Everything--arms, fingers, toes, the turn of the head is beautiful. And the costumes--Wow! The color really is very beautiful and makes you smile."

Ms. Fernandez and her daughter Maile

As an American, she was able to "...learn some of the Chinese history, what they believe in, how they show it with their music, and their dance, and their art forms. I think they're very positive. I think it's wonderful to see a group of people--not just Asian--still have their beliefs. I think sometimes we forget that part. But it's okay to have that in their arts. A better way to express it."

She said, "They must love what they do. Discipline for sure. I think they ... want to tell their story. I wanted more of that--I wanted to see more story. I wanted more of the drummers. I love storytelling. I wanted more of the story. Some of the words were interesting, like calamity. I think there is a little message about their beliefs about divinity. Taking the opportunity ... I saw the word opportunity a lot. Don't miss your chance to be positive."

Maile, who is a gymnast, loved every part of the show. "It's wonderful. All of it. Mostly the drummers--the drummers were really cool. They are very elaborate, they like to express, they like to entertain--they're just wonderful. I love the colors. I learned that they are very cultural and very family-oriented. When I watched the father ... when he died from those evil men. [in the piece "Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution"] I was about to cry when he was about to go up to heaven. It was really touching. I liked it a lot."

Ms. Mereneda, a professor and business consultant, was among the many struck by the beauty of the Shen Yun performance. "It was beautiful. The backdrops were wonderful. The actors, the dancing, I just couldn't believe it! It was fantastic, wonderful. Every one of us enjoyed it. The singers--excellent. The one tenor who sang and hit those notes so beautifully. [It was] incredible."

Ms. Mereneda, a professor and business consultant

Ms. Williams, a practicing attorney, was determined to see the show, because she missed the Pasadena show held earlier. She drove from Los Angeles to Orange County to see Shen Yun. "And I'm so glad I did. It was wonderful, everything I expected it to be. The costumes were excellent. The performances were great. The acrobats and the choreography were wonderful. I was really surprised at the individual singers. I thought it was extra nice to get all the sopranos the tenors and the different Chinese versions. And what I really appreciated was the lessons. The lessons out of the choreography, out of the music, and out of just the performances. I could feel the beauty. When you can feel the beauty, you know you've done a good job, and that's what I felt." Ms. Williams said she learned "life's lessons" from Shen Yun's performance, based on China's divinely inspired culture.

Ms. Williams, a practicing attorney

Ms. Williams said she believed the programs explained, "...about where we come from, why we're here, what we're trying to do and the connection we all have together. I saw it in the beauty, the music, and the togetherness of the whole performance. I was really happy. A lot of joy. I'll be back next year. ... Thank you."

Dr. Marnell, a physician, was at the performance with his Vietnamese-Chinese born wife, Kieu. He said she was the "one reason" they came. "We enjoyed it very much. The dancing, singing, the drums, the history, the presentation, the colors--it was all marvelous."

Touched by the plight of Falun Gong practitioners living in China today, Dr. Marnell said that he was inspired to find out more about the ancient cultivation system, Falun Dafa. "We think that's important--the Falun [Gong]." He said he could appreciate people seeking the meaning of life. "Well, I need to read more and study more about Dafa. I will do that. So, I'm inspired to read more."

Mr. Geer, an engineer and a photographer, was amazed by the detail of the performance. He is well-known, and his photos, usually of architecture and fashion, have appeared in many publications on both coasts. He said, "An amazing amount of detail was put together into a pattern--a big pattern. The skill of each detail is so precise, and they do that with the whole pattern."

Mr. Geer, an engineer and a photographer

"Overall, you have this almost kaleidoscopic effect going on, but then you can look at each dancer and watch all the beauty of just one dancer. You'll also see the whole beauty of the scene--microcosm and macrocosm--little pieces, and how beautiful they are in the whole scene," he said. Mr. Geer commented that "Dance of the Yi" had a similar affect on him. "They'd have all this purple and suddenly they'd flutter their skirts and you'd see flowers go whoom, and you'd go wow! It was very impressive."

He was surprised by the power of his emotions that pulled on his heartstrings during the dance "Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution." "Yes, the persecution one. The emotion of that was impressive. The little girl danced so beautifully, right? I've been to ballet so-and-so, but the emotion that was conveyed in the scene was extraordinary. Great happiness is shown and great sadness is shown very strongly, and very clearly. The scene with the persecuted father, I practically had tears in my eyes ... and I'm not normally that kind of person ..."

He said, "The vocal pieces, I was impressed with the technical ability ... especially the soprano. Gosh! She shook the building. What power! It was technically very impressive."

Lt. Colonel Rine and his family

Among the audience was also Lt. Colonel Rine, his son Dylan, and his daughter Kaitlyn. "It's been a really, really good show. Really enjoyed it--filled with culture, and great performances. Very well choreographed and thought out. A lot of meaning in it. You could see that there is a lot of meaning and purpose behind each meaning."

He said, "It really makes you realize how old the culture is, how much there is, and how much meaning there is. So I did follow it, and there were good stories, good artwork. The sculptor has a dream, the statues come alive, he wakes up, and it's his inspiration ["A Dunhuang Dream"]," was his favorite dance.

Source: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/17362/
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