LOS ANGELES—A Californian journalist has made sure to see Shen Yun four times, he said.
David De Mulle, editor of The Foothills Paper had come to see the New York-based classical Chinese dance and music show at The Music Center on Friday, Jan. 13.
He thoroughly enjoyed watching the show.
Mr. De Mulle said that he found the show to be “Absolutely beautiful … There is so much color, so much movement, and just in watching it, you become a part of it.”
Mr. De Mulle explained that it was the cultural side of Shen Yun that brought him back each time.
“I find it so different and so familiar at the same time, said Mr. De Mulle.
“Everybody thinks of Chinese food, but they don’t think about Chinese dancing.”
He noted that some dances in Shen Yun were story-based and gave an example of the pieces that told the story of the persecution of the spiritual group Falun Gong.
“The depiction of the Communist China being an aggressor against the Falun Gong … yes, here we hear about it. But this now makes it visual. Like this is happening,” said Mr. De Mulle.
Shen Yun draws upon China’s 5,000 years of culture, including human rights stories depicting the persecution of Falun Gong, an ancient mind-body practice that is still persecuted in China today.
Mr. De Mulle said how the interaction between the digital backdrops and the performers on stage gave him the impression of being immersed in the performance.
“The multimedia was wonderful … you see the figures come in and they pop up and they do their dancing. It makes you a part of it,” he said.
According to Shen Yun’s website, the digital backdrops create “vividly animated settings, extending the stage and transporting the audience to a world where heaven and earth are one.”
Reporting by Flora Ge and Sophia Bronwen.
Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world.
Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company will perform at The Music Center through Jan. 14.
For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.
