BUENOS AIRES—Artist Silvia Tchobanian did not know what to expect when she saw Shen Yun Performing Arts International Company at the Teatro Ópera Citi in Buenos Aires on Dec. 13, but she was pleasantly surprised.
“It is more than I expected. It was wonderful. All the artists, from the emcees to the last dancer,” she said, adding: “All the live orchestra, it was very exciting, the combination of the instruments.”
Shen Yun, a New York based performing arts company, is dedicated to restoring and reviving traditional Chinese culture. It presents Chinese myths and legends through dance and song as well as music from its live orchestra which combines Western and Chinese classical instruments.
“A performance by Shen Yun is a presentation of traditional Chinese culture as it once was: a study in grace, wisdom, and the virtues distilled from the five millennia of Chinese civilization,” the company says on its website.
The aesthetics of the company appealed to Ms. Tchobanian.
“The costumes were wonderful, the traditional music, the dance,” she said. “I am an artist, so I enjoyed everything from the scenery to the last bit, even the make up of the dancers.”
Shen Yun also performs contemporary pieces from China today, including the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners for their beliefs.
Ms. Tchnobanian said she was of Armenian heritage and had grown up in a communist country, so she could relate to those performances.
“I, too, understand what has been suffered under a communist country, and what it takes to get rid of all that political matter and fight for your roots and ideals,” she said.
She responded to the spiritual nature of the Shen Yun performances saying it had touched her. She commended the company for being able to rise above the political oppression evident in China today.
“To see they can reach this level of performing, beyond their … problems—to me it’s a satisfaction and a joy too,” she said.
Ms. Tchobanian said she had enjoyed Shen Yun so much she would be recommending others see the show. “And if it’s God’s will,” she added, “if [Shen Yun] comes another year, I will be here again because it’s been a pleasure, a treat. and a joy for the soul, really.”
With reporting by Julia Cortes and Shar Adams
For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
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