WATERBURY, Conn.—Dance instructor Rosemary Tindall Gibson caught the Shen Yun Performing Arts Touring Company with her husband John Tindall Gibson on its opening night in Waterbury on Dec. 26.
The couple enjoyed the performance at the Palace Theater, Connecticut’s centerpiece for the performing arts.
Ms. Gibson “began her professional career as a dancer, at the age of 15, teaching for the Arizona Arts and Humanities Commission,” according to her website. She worked as a choreographer in the Southwest, both for her own company and for other groups for over thirty years.
Ms. Gibson said that “the piece with the blue fans that the men did was remarkable,” referring to The Qing Imperial Guards, praising the dance technique in the piece.
Ms. Gibson explained that she wouldn’t know how to compare traditional Chinese dance with the dance she is familiar with. Her background is in traditional ballet and modern dance. But she did sum up her experience of it as “remarkable.”
Chinese classical dance, evolving over centuries, incorporates a complete system of dance and embodies traditional aesthetic principles into its movements, rhythms, and inner meaning, according to Shen Yun’s website.
When it came time for Mr. John Tindall Gibson to share his thoughts, he said with a sense of humor, “Well, I’m a pedestrian and I don’t know much about dancing.”
Mr. Gibson is currently the superintendent of Connecticut’s Naugatuck Public Schools. He oversees a budget of over $56 million in funds and supervises 11 educational facilities.
Mr. Gibson did enjoy the costumes and looking at the history and the culture of the production.
The dances Shen Yun presents are mini-dramas that draw upon stories and legends from China’s history. The stories range from the Yellow Emperor and through the Tang and Song dynasties and touch upon events in modern day.
Mr. Gibson commented on “The Choice,” a piece about modern times: “The piece that took place in Tiananmen Square I thought was very interesting.”
In The Choice, friends take different paths in life and eventually meet again as potential enemies. The dramatic theme presents the moral dilemma of following or betraying one’s conscience in the face of occupational and societal pressures.
Reporting by Alec Wang and Sharon Kilarski
Shen Yun has three companies touring the world. Shen Yun Performing Arts Touring Company will perform at the Palace Theater, Waterbury, through Friday, Dec. 30.
For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts
