(Clearwisdom.net) Shen Yun Performing Arts held its first ever show at the United States Military Academy West Point, in the school's Eisenhower Hall Theatre in West Point, New York, on October 16, 2010. After the final curtain call, the audience rose to their feet in a standing ovation.
"Top Shelf, Top Professional!"
Don Winslow, a former trumpeter of the West Point Military Band, with his wife and friends Jon Peter and Carla van Dwal.
As a former trumpeter of the West Point Military Band and the auditorium's piano tuner, Don Winslow has developed very acute listening skills. To his credit, he has presented shows for musicians Tony Bennett, Ray Charles, James Taylor, and Billy Joel.
Mr. Winslow described Shen Yun's presentation of classical Chinese dance and music as "top notch."
"The arrangements and the folk themes come through to me. They are simple but beautiful at the same time and they are scored very well; there is a nice blend." He continued, "The sound is excellent and executed flawlessly."
Mr. Winslow attended the show with his wife Rosemarie and good friends, Jon Peter van Dwal and wife Carla.
"I think that the music and dancing are just beautiful, the coordination ... they are so graceful, and they look like they are floating," Mr. Winslow said. "We are just enjoying the whole presentation. It is very professional, very coordinated, top shelf, top professional!"
His wife Rosemarie chimed in, "The costumes, the colors, the dramatics! In the dance set, Wu Song Battles the Tiger, you can feel like they are actually going on a hunt to catch the lion."
"It's more than a job to them, it's their art," Mr. Winslow concluded after seeing the dancers' facial expressions during the different performances.
Mrs. van Dwal said that sometimes they go to a performance "because it is so vocal, but this is ... to see the dance, the choreography, the costumes―that's very nice."
Her husband added, "And this is very precious because it is completely different from Western dancing ... in Western dancing they are always strong and fit, but here they are also gracious in their movements."
Mr. Winslow touched a little on the different nuances of classical Chinese dance that he saw in the show.
"I saw a lot of differences in their posture, with what they spoke on stage, the way they moved their heads and bounced on their feet in a certain way."
Mrs. Winslow sensed a spiritual thread connecting the dancers and noted, "They don't dance together but do dance together--that strikes me very much."
"The Costumes, the Music, the Precision"
Barbara and Leslie Levine at the Saturday evening's performance.
Also in the audience were Barbara Levine and her husband.
Ms. Levine, a college teacher, was impressed with the different cultures portrayed in Shen Yun. She said, "This is just beautiful ... I love it!"
"The costumes, the music, the precision, how symmetrical everything is―it's very beautiful," she exclaimed.
As a patron of the arts, Ms. Levine has seen many dance performances, but nothing quite like Shen Yun.
With a background knowledge in Chinese culture, she said that Western audiences would have an easier time embracing this ancient culture if they kept an open mind. "I think you have to be open, and open up your mind to many different ideas."
"What was very interesting was the performance, Nothing Can Block the Divine Path, where they tried to separate the family. That really resonated with me ... that is, what's happening in China today and how difficult it is for so many of the people there," explained Ms. Levine.
In this particular dance set, a mother and daughter are being attacked by police in contemporary China for practicing Falun Dafa exercises in a park. Falun Dafa is a spiritual discipline rooted in traditional Chinese culture and is being persecuted by the Chinese regime.
Shen Yun "Really Impressive" Says Actuary and Mapping Technician
Dawn and Steven Green with their daughter at Shen Yun.
Steven Green attended the show with his wife and daughter. The couple said that they came to see Shen Yun mainly for the cultural experience.
"We wanted to teach our daughter about other cultures, other than our own, and to show her what things in other countries would be like," said Mr. Green, an actuary and mapping technician for Orange County.
Mr. Green was especially impressed by the handkerchiefs dance. "I thought it was really impressive the way it was orchestrated. It was beautiful."
Mrs. Green, who works for an oil propane company, added, "The dancing, the colors, all of it. It was really nice."
The dance set, Nothing Can Block the Divine Path, was a particularity moving experience for Mrs. Green. "It was very emotional. I liked it," she said.
"I Really Enjoyed the Show"
"I really enjoyed the show," said Cadet Briana O'Hearn.
"It was really interesting to know that acrobatic-type movements actually came from traditional Chinese dance--I really liked that--and just seeing some of the cultural aspects," she said.
"If you really want to experience the traditional Chinese dance, I would suggest it," Ms. O'Hearn said of the show. "There was really quite a lot of variety, and I really liked how there was a story told throughout the whole thing."
Sources:
http://theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/44505/
http://theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/44455/
http://theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/44377/
http://theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/44340/
Category: Shen Yun Performing Arts
