(Minghui.org) Shen Yun has completed stunning performances in six cities in the U.S. Midwest and on the East Coast since January 22, stopping in Orlando and Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; Huntsville, Alabama; Charlotte, North Carolina; Evansville, Indiana and Cincinnati, Ohio.
Leaders in the music, sports, and business sectors enjoyed Shen Yun's performances and this extra special way of ringing in the Year of the Horse through a celebration of Chinese civilization and tradition.
The Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
Conductor: Shen Yun Music is Trendsetting
David Tang experiences Shen Yun Performing Arts at Charlotte's Belk Theater at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, January 28.
David Tang said that his experience with Shen Yun at Charlotte’s Belk Theater at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, January 28, was exceptional and worth every moment.
“It’s beautiful; it’s very lovely. I think it’s great for people to see the many kinds of Chinese dance, and the music,” he said.
Mr. Tang, a conductor himself, has led a career filled with musical achievement, including Associate Conductor of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra from 1998-2003.
“I like the combination of the Eastern instruments—the Chinese instruments—and the Western orchestra,” he said. “I think it’s very tastefully done; it’s very well done.”
“The Western instruments are generally … louder, but the way they have the microphone on the Chinese instruments makes them very balanced,” added Mr. Tang.
He noted that the special arrangement, including “the use the oboe and erhu together” produces a “very nice sound combination. I think it’s a great demonstration of the coming together.”
Mr. Tang also feels that the inclusion of more ethnic sounds centered upon Western orchestration is the path of music of the future. “I think this kind of music is becoming more and more popular,” he said. “And so I think it’s very important.”
Mr. Tang characterized Shen Yun’s music as “music that’s beautiful and touches your heart.”
Principal Harpist: Wonderful Shen Yun Musicians
Rick Braytenbah (left) and Katherine Newman, principal harpist with the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra
After seeing Shen Yun on January 26, Katherine Newman, principal harpist with the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra, said, “I was very impressed with the orchestra. The musicians were really wonderful.”
She felt that the dance and the music meshed with perfect precision. “The choreography went so perfectly with it. It was perfectly timed. I know that’s the orchestra director’s job,” she said.
At the final curtain at the Von Braun Center Concert Hall, when the Master of Ceremonies introduced the conductor, the already vigorous applause became thunderous.
Ms. Newman said she was pleasantly surprised to hear how the East and West was blended in the Shen Yun Orchestra, both musically and literally. “I was expecting it to be an orchestra from China, but I saw a blonde head in there,” she said with a laugh.
Sports Celebrities Appreciate the Stories and Dance Technique
Mr. Steve Ortmayer, former football coach and executive, saw Shen Yun at the Aronoff Center for the Arts in Cincinnati, Ohio on January 30, 2014.
Steve Ortmayer, former football coach and executive, described Shen Yun as unique after seeing the performance in Cincinnati on January 30: “We were fortunate enough to go to China for three weeks this year, and we didn't see anything like this. We saw Chinese acrobats and Chinese dancing, but it was not like this. This is very refined and very beautiful.”
As the former general manager of the National Football League's San Diego Chargers and St. Louis Rams, Mr. Ortmayer appreciated the athletic quality of the performers: “Very good athletes. Particularly the men, but the women are exceptional too. The women are very beautifully choreographed. The men are very athletic and very good.”
Mr. Ortmayer noted that the show “tells a very colorful story and follows a very continuous thread how things are done in China's history.”
Ms. Aja Zanova Steindler, a former figure skating world champion, saw Shen Yun for the second time at Ft. Lauderdale on January 31.
Shen Yun returned to Ft. Lauderdale for the seventh time at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, January 31. Many audience members attended the performance to celebrate Chinese New Year and Chinese traditional culture.
Ms. Aja Zanova Steindler, a former figure skating world champion from Czech and currently a Ft. Lauderdale resident, was one of them. She spoke highly of Shen Yun, especially as regards the technical skill of the dancers.
Ms. Steindler also shared that she had seen Shen Yun a few years ago, and she wanted to see it again, as the performance is so grand and beautiful. She loved the theme and the principles presented in Shen Yun. After the January 31 show, Ms. Steindler sent her congratulations to Shen Yun Performing Arts for another successful performance.
Business Leaders: Tremendous Enjoyment
Richard Kessler attended Shen Yun at Orlando's Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre, on January 23.
“I think the movements are beautiful,” Richard Kessler said upon seeing Shen Yun in Orlando. “Every one of the girls is most beautiful, and I enjoyed it very much.”
Mr. Kessler owns the Kessler Collection, 10 luxury boutique hotels and restaurants. The company is known for its distinct architecture, rare art and music, and exemplary service.
Mr. Kessler was impressed by Shen Yun’s mission of reviving 5,000 years of civilization and traditional Chinese culture. “Its very cultural, different from what we normally see. I enjoyed seeing the difference in style and dancing,” he said.
The Aronoff Center for the Arts in Cincinnati, Ohio
Ms. Christine Timmins Barry, Senior Vice President of Global Operations at Convergys, a global company based in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Ms. Christine Timmins Barry, Senior Vice President of Global Operations at Convergys attended the Shen Yun performance with her family at the Aronoff Center for the Arts in Cincinnati on the night of January 30.
The whole family loved the performance, especially her six-year-old daughter who “loved every minute of it.” She thought that every dance program was unique and was impressed by Shen Yun's variety of choreography.
Respected Lawyer: Best Character of China
Attorney Timothy Gary’s impression of Shen Yun Performing Arts is that it is beautiful. “It’s so warming, and I think it truly reflects the best character of China,” he said after the performance in Cincinnati on January 30.
Watching the performance, Mr. Gary sensed “a lot of respect for the culture, measured by the dance.”
Mr. Gary, who has practiced law for 52 years in Cincinnati, has, among receiving other awards, been named Ohio Super Lawyer in 2004, 2005, and 2007.
He was most impressed by the precision of the performances, and “knowing how much work has to be done before they can present,” he said.
