(Clearwisdom.net)

Caryl Traten Fisher, founder and director of the State of the Arts Cultural Series at the US Department of State, enjoyed the discipline of the dancers of Shen Yun Performing Arts. (CindyDruiker/The Epoch Times)

WASHINGTON--Audience members rose in standing ovation, cheered, and waved as the curtain closed on world-renowned Shen Yun Performing Arts' second public show at the Kennedy Center in Washington on August 27.

Many theatergoers seemed unwilling to leave the Kennedy Center Opera House after a night of classical Chinese dance, ethnic and folk dance, bel canto singing, live orchestra, and two curtain calls.

Among those touched by the show was Ms. Traten Fisher, founder and director of the State of the Arts Cultural Series program at the US Department of State, a program she runs voluntarily that hosts a lunchtime concert every other week. She is also a portrait painter and concert pianist.

"I thought it was very aesthetic, very beautifully done. I appreciated all the energy and the talent and the dancing that went into it. I thought it was absolutely an exquisite work of art," said Ms. Fisher.

"I certainly felt the exhilaration of certain dancers. I felt like I appreciated the energy and the work that went into a production such as this. Being an artist myself, I know what goes into something of this nature. And so I truly appreciate it from my standpoint. It's very aesthetic, and ... the colors, the synchronization, just all of the energy that went into it--it was quite remarkable."

Collecting Chinese virtuosos from around the world, New York-based Shen Yun has graced the stages of more than 90 cities on five continents just in 2009.

Ms. Fisher particularly liked the performance "Nymphs of the Sea" in which water fairies depict water ripples with their lengthy fans. She also enjoyed "Dance of the Snow-capped Mountain," a dance performance displaying the vitality of Tibetan men.

"They were like male Rockettes, I don't know how else to describe them, because they were so beautifully synchronized. And the energy--I just found it exquisite," she said.

"Mostly I appreciated the discipline that must have gone into it more than anything else. There's so much discipline to creating something so authentic. It made it very interesting to me."

Shen Yun aims to revive the five-millennia-old traditional Chinese heritage and arts that thrived before decades of suppression by the communist regime in China.

Shen Yun performed once before in 2009 at the Kennedy Center in February, bringing in full houses and hundreds who were willing to buy standing tickets. This is where American presidents enjoy performing arts.

Due to public demand, Shen Yun returned to the District of Columbia just before the end of summer, putting on one VIP show and six public shows. It will return again from January 20 to 24, 2010, with completely new programs.

Washington, DC's Kennedy Center Opera House is hosting a six-show run from August 26 to 30.

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/21668/