(Minghui.org) As part of its 2013 World Tour, Shen Yun Performing Arts Touring Company staged two spectacular, awe-inspiring shows in New Zealand's Civic Theatre in downtown Auckland on February 8 and 9. 

Shen Yun “Honors a Heritage,” Says Maori Ambassador

Maori Performing Arts ambassador Ms. Ranpiri-Ransfield says
Shen Yun dancers portray the values of Truth-Compassion-Tolerance
(Photo courtesy of NTD Television)

One audience member, Tui-Matira Ranapiri-Ransfield, a Maori Performing Arts Ambassador, traveled three hours to see the opening performance of Shen Yun.

As a leader of the Maori performing arts, Ms. Ranapiri-Ransfield is very interested in and appreciates the value of all traditional cultures.

She came to the show to see classical Chinese dancing techniques and to observe the choreography, but she left feeling struck by the purity of Shen Yun's expression of traditional Chinese culture. “The dancing this evening comes from a traditional, ancient performing arts background, and I was keen to come along and witness that for myself,” she said.

The Maori leader, herself an accomplished soprano, was also delighted by Shen Yun’s live orchestra and the three vocalists. “The show this evening was exquisite, it was superb, it was moving.”

She liked how the program presented the dances in their true form. “It honors a heritage,” she said.

“I see the discipline, I see the hard work and I see beauty in the performance. The synchronization was just beautiful, classy, and soft—it was a reflection of a culture and its history. It was a reflection of the Falun Dafa philosophy about truth and compassion and tolerance and I see that in the dancing.”

Ms. Ranapiri-Ransfield was referring to the dance, “An Unexpected Encounter,” which portrays the Chinese Communist Party's persecution of the spiritual meditation group, Falun Dafa. “So not only do you talk about [Chinese] history or depict parts of its history of cruelty, I also saw the beautiful things that we are able to appreciate and have gratitude towards in life.”

She especially enjoyed the uplifting dance, “Phoenix Fairies,” which she described as “extraordinary,” and equated it to one of the many “meaningful things” in the show.

Ms. Ranapiri-Ransfield has traveled the world as an ambassador of the Maori cultural arts and is currently working as a teacher and researcher on various projects for her people.

Shen Yun Is “Stunning,” Says Award Winning TV Producer

TV Producer Vivian Wigby-Ngatai was amazed at
Shen Yun Performing Arts in Auckland on February 8

Also enjoying the show was Vivian Wigby-Ngatai, a New Zealand award-winning television producer.

She described Shen Yun as “amazing” and “Just beautiful, so beautiful!” adding, “All of the dances were so beautiful.”

Her heart was also touched by the digitally animated backdrops, which perfectly interact with the performers. “The backdrop was amazing, absolutely amazing. It was such a beautiful addition to the show—very exciting to see them all flying off and flying back onto the stage. Very clever, very clever,” she enthused.

The live orchestra combines classical Western instruments and traditional Eastern instruments to play original scores.

“The music was very stirring and I liked … traditional Chinese instruments as well as Western instruments [playing] together. They produce a beautiful sound,” she explained.

Ms. Wigby-Ngatai came to see Shen Yun with a group of Maori friends, who all agreed that Shen Yun has a “very strong spiritual feeling.” When asked if she would recommend Shen Yun to her friends, she said she would, as she regarded it as a stunningly beautiful performance.

Journalist and His Family Enjoy Shen Yun

 
Duncan Gillies and his family enjoyed an evening
 at Shen Yun Performing Arts in Auckland

New Zealand Herald journalist Duncan Gillies attended the show with his family and a friend.

He praised the music and the dance. “We all really enjoyed it. I thought it was a great night out, and very impressive.”

Mrs. Gillies said that both she and her daughter, Yasmina, particularly liked the dance, “An Unexpected Encounter,” which describes a pair of tourists in China who meet Falun Dafa practitioners on Tiananmen Square. “Our daughter had watched something on Falun Dafa before, so that was even more interesting to know a little bit of background” said Mrs. Gillies.

“I was pleased to know what they were talking about [in the dance] and also really horrified at what’s going on,” Yasmina explained [referring to the ongoing persecution of Falun Gong in China].

“A Colorful and Musical Spectacular,” Says Music Reviewer

Professional music reviewer Andrew Buchanan-Smart, who attended the show with his wife, called Shen Yun “a colorful and musical spectacular.”

Mr. Buchanan-Smart described his experience of Shen Yun as: “amazing choreography, costumes and dancing, absolutely fantastic!” He also enjoyed the “physicality” and “togetherness” of the dancers. “Their leaps and tumbles and jumps, amazing, really enjoying it,” he added.

Mrs. Buchanan-Smart, a garden designer, thoroughly enjoyed the costumes and story-based dances.

“I think the costumes are outstanding,” she said, making special note of Shen Yun's “colors and the dancers' precision and accuracy.”

Sources: Minghui.org and theEpochTimes.com