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She and Mr. Carter braved a cold winters' night to see the show. Mr. Carter runs his own construction business while also teaching and doing volunteer work.
Ms. Paterson said many of her staff had tickets, "We have a lot of employees that are attending the show, so I was encouraged to attend by some of our employees."
She thought it was a great decision to see the show, "I think it’s fabulous! I love the costumes and the colors and the intricacy of the dance. I think it’s fabulous."
Mr. Carter couldn't have agreed more, especially since the backdrop showed an English translation of the subtitles and songs. As a Westerner, he said he felt included.
He said that he was impressed with "the color and the movements, the choreography, and especially the way that the subtitles lead you into the themes of the overall show, so it allows you to get a pretty good feel of the culture with the language. It doesn’t leave you out – there’s no barrier. And the movements are so in tune with the music also."
Both agreed that the Tibetan Dance of Praise caught their eyes. The dance shows men and women in royal Tibetan costumes, dancing against a background of the Himalayas. The dance is joyful and celebratory, with rich colors.
Ms. Paterson went on to say, "I also liked the blossoms, the yellow blossoms, you know the hand movements. I thought it was very fine."
Regarding the dance in which "a mother was persecuted for the meditation, Nothing Can Block the Divine Path" Mr. Carter said, "Its interesting seeing how they were treated."
Mr. Carter found a universal spirituality in the performance. He founded a ministry as part of his volunteer work, called Proper Thought Ministries. He said, "It almost helps you relate to the fact that the same thing that we may say about the spiritual, is also evident in the Chinese culture. Just by the visual representation."
The first vignette was unique in his eyes and he said, "It was also interesting, during the opening of the show, that the heavens open and the chariot comes down."
The artists were honored with a standing ovation, a curtain call and frequent applause during the individual acts at this closing performance.
With Reporting by Edelyn Xie
Shen Yun has three dance companies and three orchestras. During the Lunar New Year, one company is in Los Angeles until Feb. 14, and other Shen Yun companies will be performing in New York during the Lunar New year and in Suwon, Korea, February 17-18.
For more information, please visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
