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CANBERRA—Kim Buckley brought her three teenagers 150 kilometres from Bateman’s Bay to see Shen Yun Performing Arts International Company debut at the Canberra Theatre on Tuesday evening, March 8.
“I found it was really good,” Ms. Buckley said, particularly captivated by the exquisitely attired dancers. “I haven’t seen a show like this before so it’s good to finally come to see a decent dance show.”
Her son Thomas, aged 19, was of the same mind, enjoying the story-based dance and the music of the full orchestral ensemble of Chinese and Western instruments.
Thirteen-year-old Alanah, a ballet dancer, couldn’t believe the techniques used in classical Chinese dance. “How they did all the flips. I’d love to do that at some stage,” she said.
Classical Chinese dance techniques include a series of very difficult moves—jumps, flips, twists, and spins that have been a part of classical Chinese dance for thousands of years, the company's website says. With these skills and the refined and equally difficult training of bearing and form, it is not difficult to see why classical Chinese dance stands out as one of the world's most comprehensive dance forms.
The youngest, Isabelle, quipped, “How flexible they can be. It’d be cool to just do that.”
Ms. Buckley said the historical aspects presented by Shen Yun were important.
“A lot of the young ones aren’t aware of much previous to when they were born,” she said.
Thomas had been following Japanese history, so she was happy about his exposure to Chinese history.
He said it “was good to see the history of China … different culture. It’s a fun experience geared to learn history.”
The family had been in the main shopping centre of Bateman’s Bay and saw a Shen Yun promotional display.
“So I thought this would be good, it would be the girls' first live show," said Ms. Buckley, a pathology collector at a hospital.
She said the family were inspired by the energetics of the show, encouraging them to stick to their exercise routines.
Reporting by Shar Adams and Raiatea Tahana-Reese.
Shen Yun Performing Arts International Company will perform one more show in Canberra on March 9, before continuing its 2011 World Tour to Taiwan. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
