Shen Yun Takes Artistry to the ‘Next Level’ Says Professional Pianist
ADELAIDE, Australia—Irene Storer, director at Forte School of Music in Adelaide, thought Shen Yun Performing Arts and the company’s live orchestra was simply “extraordinary!”
“Fantastic … amazing dancers, amazing musicians—really enjoyed it,” said Mrs. Storer after the production at the Festival Theatre on the afternoon of April 7.
Based in New York, Shen Yun Performing Arts is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance company. Along with folk dances and solo performances, the production depicts story-based pieces that tell tales from ancient times to the modern day.
The synchronization and timing between Shen Yun’s live orchestra to the classically trained dancers in conjunction with the company’s patented 3D animated backdrop, take the performance to “the next level,” said Mrs. Storer.
As a professional pianist herself, she said she understands and appreciates the commitment of the performers.
“You got to start very young … it doesn’t just come in two years, three years—It’s 10s of years,” she said, “and all these dancers and musicians, they were fantastic!”
‘A Wonderful Sensory Experience’
Shameela Khambhaita, family counselor, and her friend Bridget Ransome, executive communications manager, also attended the Shen Yun performance at the Festival Theatre on the afternoon of April 7.
“The vibrancy and the colors, the movement … was what I would describe as a wonderful sensory experience for all,” said Mrs. Khambhaita.
“I think there’s a lot that we can learn from history from different cultures,” she said, “it’s an opportunity for people to really understand our world and the different culture cultures and the learnings of the teachings that we all bring to the table.”
According to Shen Yun, ancient Chinese music, medicine, calligraphy, clothing, and language were believed to have been brought down from the heavens and daily life was replete with rituals connecting man with the divine. Drawing upon ancient China’s Buddhist and Daoist philosophies, Shen Yun says its performances demonstrate “China before communism.”
As a child counselor, Mrs. Khambhaita was familiar with music being a form of therapy. Calling it “resonance health” in her practice, she said she resonated with the ancient Chinese philosophy of music being a form of medicine.
The Shen Yun performance with the incorporation of therapeutic “color” and “sound” was “absolutely fascinating … but also meditative as well,” she said.
Inspired by the spirituality and conveyed virtues of traditional Chinese culture, Mrs. Ransome said her main takeaway from the production was the need to express more kindness and compassion.
With the world appearing to be “going through a dark phase,” she said “anywhere we can bring kindness and compassion through I think is really important.”
Reporting by NTD, Rachael Qu, and Jennifer Schneider.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
