Economist Heard a Very Peaceful Message

WASHINGTON—The Kennedy Center Opera House was the chosen venue for the January Shen Yun Performing Arts show.

Constantina, an interior designer, who is in her own words “very artistic” said, “I loved the show. I loved the colors. The performers were amazing.”

She appreciated the culture presented in Shen Yun, which aims to revive traditional Chinese culture through performing arts. “The combination of the colors and the dance were spectacular. It really made me appreciate more of Chinese culture,” she said.

“These are things you don't see very often in America. It was a great opportunity for me to familiarize with another ancient culture. I'm of Greek origin, so I really appreciate history and heritage, said Constantina.

According to Shen Yun's website, they aim to revive traditional Chinese culture via music, dance, and performing arts. China's cultural history spans 5,000 years, and many of the performances within Shen Yun delve into various aspects of ancient Chinese folklore, traditions, and values.

Shen Yun, she felt, was a “great promotion of Chinese history and art.”

Classical Chinese dance is one of the most ancient art forms in the world still being practiced. The art form in unique in that it is: “stunningly expressive art form that is millennia-old, with a vocabulary of movement so rich as to range from elegant to explosive to everything in between,” says the Shen Yun website.

Constantina added: “People know about modern China, but I don't think a lot of people realize what a great culture the Chinese people have. We all know it's a very old, very ancient country.”

“This kind of performance and artistic approach of China projects a great image, and they make us learn and appreciate more about the Chinese people and what they offered to the world.”

Her husband, an economist, agreed with his wife: “I liked the show a lot. It was something different. I really liked the way they used the screen [referring to the 3-d backdrop], and when the people were coming out of the screen. It was very impressive.”

Other than classical Chinese dance, the performance has an erhu soloist. The erhu is a two-stringed instrument that throughout the history of China, has an “otherworldly quality,” says Shen Yun's website. Other than the erhu, there are several singers, who use the bel canto style.

“The tenor was unbelievable. I heard a very peaceful message about life, about peace, and about harmony. It was very well put together,” said her husband in reference to the singing.

Music is an integral part of Shen Yun in that it helps the performers tell the story as well as immerse the audience. Shen Yun features a 40-plus member orchestra that fuses Western and Chinese instrumentation. “The orchestra did a very good job,” said her husband.

“I liked that there were explanations between the performances,” he said when talking about the hosts that introduced all the dances. “For people like me who aren't familiar with this type of performing arts, it's a very good way to learn more about it.”

This is the first time Constantine and her husband saw the Shen Yun performers, “I've seen this particular show for the first time. I saw the advertisement, and it looked really interesting so we bought tickets.”

With reporting by Xiong Ximing.

  For more information, please visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org .