(Clearwisdom.net) Shen Yun Performing Arts staged its first of six glorious shows at the packed Kennedy Center Opera House in Washington, DC, on August 25, 2010.

Curtain call at The Kennedy Center Opera House, on Aug.25.

Among the many cultural and political figures in the audience were former Maryland State Legislator, Ms. Adrienne Mandel and State Department Director of the Arts Cultural Series, Caryl Fisher.

"I would say it's phenomenal, fantastic, and awesome! Also very inspiring, very inspiring. I'll carry that message. Thank you!" said Ms. Mandel.

"I think it was a tremendous work of art. Besides the choreography, the actual colors were just exquisite," said Ms Fisher, who is also a composite painter for the National Portrait Gallery and a talented classical pianist.

She said that she especially loved the way the female dancers moved.

"There was just something about them that was fluid. There was so much that was imperceptible. The subtlety ... It was just amazing, an amazing production, really amazing. The music is wonderful!"

Caryl Fisher,(L) Director, State of the Arts Cultural Series, and her classical piano student Diana Walker, pose beside a Shen Yun banner.

"I think it was a tremendous work of art, said Ms. Fisher. "Besides the choreography, the actual colors were just exquisite. I was here last year as well. I really enjoyed it."

The colors and the way they were used in the show caught Ms. Fisher's attention.

"I can appreciate the artistic use of the colors. The dominant color combination seemed to be the lime-green and pink, which are opposite on the color wheel. Marvelous use of color," she said, adding, "And there were lots of sparkles."

Ms. Fisher was fortunate to gain access to the paintings of the masters stored in the National Portrait Gallery when she was just 23 years old. It was her job to replicate them so that a second copy of the great works would be preserved for future generations.

Ms. Fisher's well-trained eye focused in on many of the show's subtleties.

"There was so much that was imperceptible. The subtlety. Even the backdrops, the way they moved, and the movement in the backdrops that made it fit so well in the foreground. It was just amazing, an amazing production, really amazing!" she said.

Ms. Fisher said that she especially liked the haunting melody of the erhu solo.

The multi-talented artist commented on the Shen Yun Orchestra, saying, "I think it blended very well. It was understandable to Western audiences. At the same time, it retained the Asian influence all the way through, not only with the dancers, but also with the costumes and the backdrops."

Clearly in awe of Shen Yun, Ms. Fisher concluded. "The staging was phenomenal, really phenomenal!"

Ms. Anna Auspenskaya, a classical pianist originally from Russia, was mesmerized by the fusion of Western and Chinese instruments in the Shen Yun Orchestra.

"The show is absolutely beautiful. As a musician I especially appreciate the presence of authentic instruments, and I loved the singers. It was great with the specific tone of voices. Gorgeous music. As a musician, I'm mostly focusing on what's close to my art," she said.

Lantos Foundation Endorses Shen Yun

Annette Lantos Tillemann-Dick, at a reception, after the Shen Yun Performing Arts' show at the Kennedy Center Opera House.

Attending the show was Annette Lantos Tillemann-Dick, the daughter of former U.S. Representative, Thomas Peter Lantos, and also a Holocaust survivor and defender of human rights.

Mrs. Tillemann-Dick said that the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice was founded by her father for the sole purpose of advancing global human rights and justice through education and social action programs.

She is also an advocate and supporter of Falun Gong, the popular meditation practice that is illegally banned and persecuted in China.

The following are excerpts of the speech that Mrs. Tillemann-Dick gave during a post-show reception, held in honor of the Shen Yun performers and its guests.

"Well, it is a great honor for the Lantos Foundation, as it always has been, to both be associated with and to advocate for the rights of Falun Gong, and all people all over the world to freely worship and to practice the things that are important to them."

Referring to Shen Yun, she said, "once you've seen it, there are no other words that one can use [to describe it.]"

The show provided her with a feeling of what can be accomplished, a feeling of what is possible to achieve on this earth.

"There's a certain level of human perfection that feels truly like the divine coming here and joining us on Earth, at least for a moment when we watch these exquisite and marvelous creations, not only physical, but spiritual, that are presented by the very beautifully trained and clearly devoted dancers and artists, and all the others who helped make this show possible: the producers, and the publicists, and everyone!"

Ms. Tillemann-Dick concluded her speech, saying, "The Lantos Foundation for human rights and justice feels that Falun Gong, both in its presentations and in its teachings, does so much to promote good in the world, to promote the transcending of ugliness that they have been afflicted by, and instead share the beauty [of Shen Yun] with others, and we are deeply honored and deeply inspired by everything you do, and we're so happy to be part of this exquisite and uplifting presentation every time that it comes."

Sources:

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/41615/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/41613/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/41678/