(Clearwisdom.net) LOS ANGELES--Doug Davey, an Emmy Award-winning sound mixer, was in the audience to see Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Music Center, Sunday evening, February 7.

Mr. Davey has worked on different Star Trek series. His work with Star Trek: The Next Generation helped it win four Emmy Awards in Outstanding (Individual Achievement in) Sound Mixing for a Drama Series.

Mr. Davey said of Shen Yun, "It's beautiful." He added that he appreciates the music because that is his specialty, "But I'm enjoying the entire performance very much."

Mr. Davey and Ms. Lu at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Music Center, Sunday evening

Among the many unique features of Shen Yun is its live orchestra, which combines classical Western and traditional Chinese instruments. The sounds from the orchestra evoke a wide range of emotions, from dramatic and suspenseful to serene and placid.

Mr. Davey noticed that there were different instruments being played, but he couldn't recognize them. "I don't know their names. When the ladies were dancing with the plates ["Mongolian Hospitality"], there were some instruments that I never heard before."

He added that the combination of Chinese and Western instruments is "a beautiful mix" and that the music complemented the dancers. "The orchestra is a big reason why I came to this show. I love live instruments. It's beautiful," he said.

In addition to the live orchestra, Shen Yun includes many other features that Mr. Davey enjoyed. In particular, the classic Chinese stories depicted through dance; the larger-than-life, three-dimensional backdrops that complement each performance; and the colorful, handmade costumes.

"All in all, I'm very much enjoying the show," he said.

Program Director Appreciates Shen Yun's Presentation of China's Different Ethnicities

Ms. Ko, Director for Asian Pacific Services at a prominent university in Los Angeles, was in the audience. She liked the show a great deal.

She said she spent a good part of her youth (from ages 6 to 21) actually learning and performing Chinese folk dance and also continued it through college. "So I wanted to come see an authentic performance," she said.

"What I liked most is the diversities of the different ethnicities in China--that they're showing different styles of dance."

Chinese classical dance, the centerpiece of the Shen Yun shows, is among the most comprehensive dance systems in the world, and included in the show are performances that highlight China's diverse ethnic groups such as the Tibetans, Miao, Dai and Mongolians.

Ms. Ko said of the dancing, "It's really beautiful. It's nice to see ... it's very graceful."

Ms. Ko thought that the show definitely had a social and spiritual message that was of interest to her. She said, "With a program like this that captures people who might not think about that, it's actually a nice platform to expose them to some of the realities going on in China."

While Shen Yun's mission is to revive traditional Chinese culture, it also gives artistic expression to happenings in modern-day China.

"I think the biggest thing is just how vastly different the different cultures are because they've done everything from the Mongolian to the Miao, and it's good that people are exposed to the fact that it's not just all the same," she said.

Source:

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/29323/

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/29353/