(Clearwisdom.net) Shen Yun Performing Arts' third Washington DC show this August received a standing ovation and two curtain calls from an enthusiastic audience. Joining the packed theater for Friday evening's performance was Ms. Boe Polang, a Ph.D. student at the University of Maryland who is originally from France. She performs 18th century French comedies. "I'm amazed! I think this is how everybody should perform . . . and I think every performer should see this, because this is the model!"
Ms. Polang said that when she heard people talking about their reactions to the show, she knew she had to come. "I love this. It's so graceful. The drummers! I'm in love with the drum. I adore it. I think it's very powerful. Very right! The dancers and the drummers were absolutely amazing."
Ms. Polang was profoundly moved after seeing Shen Yun. "I love it! We don't need any language, we don't need anything. I feel very peaceful, I love this message. I want to know this culture, I want to know more."
She shared that she was touched by the deeper messages she saw in the show. "I got the message and I truly agree with it! The meaning of compassion, the true meaning of art. It's true for painting but also true for any other art. I truly agree with it."
Multi-media Specialist: Thank You For Doing This!
Mr. Grachow, a multimedia specialist, accompanied by Ms. Merrils a Thai national of Chinese decent, enjoyed the highly acclaimed Shen Yun Performing Arts show tremendously.
After seeing Friday evening's performance, Mr Grachow was visibly enthusiastic about the New York-based show, saying that he "thought it was a beautiful display, the dancing, the music, the choreography was spot-on. ... It was a beautiful performance. Really, there was an incredible spirit also."
He appreciated the message the artists conveyed to the audience, "I noticed some of the message that was trying to come through. I think you can appreciate the viewpoint, where they are coming from, and the fight for more freedom in China. I think that's an excellent way to get that message out to a broader audience. I really think so. So I really enjoyed the show on a number of different levels."
Ms. Merrils was also inspired by the show, and eager to express her experience of the performance.
Ms Merrils' initial impression of the show was expressed in English, but she was so moved by the performances, that she commented in her native tongue--Thai, saying, "I think it's incredible how the dancing and the opera, I think it's really, really difficult, the music and the performance and the dancing [came together]. I think it's very, very incredible."
Mr. Grachow commented enthusiastically, "The [soprano's] singing was especially beautiful. I would love to hear her sing some more. She really had a great voice. We'll probably be back in January."
Mr. Grachow continued to express his sincere appreciation for the depth of the performances after seeing Shen Yun for the first time, "Americans have such a short history compared to China. It's really, really excellent to see a culture that has such longevity. It's really incredible to see something that is going way, way back in comparison to our culture, which is so short, only hundreds of years compared to thousands of years. To see that, it makes us want to make America a better place, to emulate some of these stories. I like the stories because I think there is an analogy, there is a comparison that can be made to modern day activities. You can connect to it, the stories that are told ..."
Reflecting over the performances that touched upon contemporary issues still unfolding, he added, "Of course, there's a lot of social and political things that are going on in the world today that are very important to bring out, because China was a closed society for so many years that we didn't know this beautiful culture existed. So to bring it here with a spirit of openness, of course you are based here, but we knew that China had this beautiful culture to bring here to Washington. Thank you for doing that!" he exclaimed.