SEATTLE—Shen Yun Performing Arts was a visual and musical delight for educational sales executive Max Harned Friday night at the Marion Oliver McCaw Hall in Seattle.
“I have played professionally for many years, so I enjoy the music,” Mr. Harned said of New York-based Shen Yun’s unique orchestra.
Mr. Harned, who taught music professionally before making a career in educational sales, enjoyed the blend of traditional Chinese instruments into a philharmonic orchestra.
“I’ve got a pretty good ear,” Mr. Harned said, adding that Shen Yun’s Orchestra, which debuted at Carnegie Hall last year. And the music is “wonderful—very very nice,” he said.
Mr. Harned attended the performance with Ms. Margi Ness, who was impressed by the costumes worn by Shen Yun’s dancers.
“It’s lovely,” Ms. Ness said. “It’s absolutely lovely, and we’re really enjoying it.”
Ms. Ness said she loved the long, water sleeves the dancers donned in Ancient Elegance. The sleeves serve as an extension of the female dancers’ feelings and reveal a glimpse into their inner world, the emcees explained.
“Just very graceful, very elegant,” Ms. Ness added.
An Eye-Opening Experience
Thousands of years of ancient Chinese traditions and values have gone into the form and spirit of classical Chinese dance as performed by Shen Yun, allowing the dancers to be immensely expressive.
Also in attendance for the performance were Matt and Sue Anne Wilks, both marketing managers, who found Shen Yun to be an eye-opening experience to Chinese culture.
“They missed a great show!” Mrs. Wilks said of her friends and family who were unable to attend.
“Very beautiful!” Mr. Wilks said. “The music is lovely. The costumes and the dancing is just gorgeous. Absolutely! We love it very much.”
“I just love the costumes and the flowing nature of the dance,” Mrs. Wilks added.
Mrs. Wilks also enjoyed the different stories told through the dances on stage, and the variety of genres ranging from comedy to pieces more serious in tone.
“The king who went and allowed the monks to eat meat for the first time—so that was one thing that I learned,” Mrs. Wilks said.
Mrs. Wilks was also shocked by the widespread and sustained persecution of Falun Gong, which has been suppressed by the Communist regime for over a decade. “I knew about religious persecution, but I want t go research that particular event [in Unexpected Encounter],” she said.
“[Shen Yun is] teaching me something about the Chinese history,” Mrs. Wilks concluded.
Reporting by Rachel Huang and Catherine Yang
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. Shen Yun Performing Arts International Company is performing in Seattle, at the Marion Oliver McCaw Hall, March 28-31. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
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