BEAVER CREEK, Colo.—When she saw Shen Yun Performing Arts in Beaver Creek, Colo., on April 7, Ms. Kathy Gallivan said she felt a universal connection to all races and cultures resonating throughout the Vilar Performing Arts Center.
“It’s a universal message—it is something that connects to humanity,” said Ms. Gallivan, vice president of distribution for a medical technology company. “We’re all looking for that connection to the universe. Call it whatever you want to call it.”
Ms. Gallivan, who has a background in dance as a former dance teacher, said she saw connections to every culture within the classical Chinese dance performed by the New York-based Shen Yun.
“I saw so many different cultures, and so many things within the dance itself, and the music,” Ms. Gallivan said. “It was fabulous.”
“You can see that it has influenced centuries of culture,” she added.
Classical Chinese dance has been passed down through the dynasties within the imperial palace, ancient Chinese theater, and opera, according to Shen Yun’s website. It requires a high level of technical skill, form, and “inner spirit” or bearing, to create the richly expressive characters performed on stage.
However, this is not a show that you can see in China today, Shen Yun’s emcees explained.
Ms. Gallivan said that although she feels sad that Shen Yun cannot be performed in China today, she feels absolutely fortunate she was able to experience it.
“It was very enlightening,” Ms. Gallivan said. “I think it’s a very spiritual, universal message.”
Mrs. Eloyce Gallivan also attended the performance with Ms. Gallivan, and she said she was touched by the lyrics projected onto Shen Yun’s animated backdrop while the solo vocalists sang Chinese in the highly technical bel canto style.
“You must see this—you feel that you have spent an afternoon learning,” Mrs. Gallivan said.
Reporting by Jim Fogarty and Catherine Yang
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.
