SEARCH
Program Director of the UC San Diego School of Medicine Health Science Enrichment Program, Carmella Arstill was drawn to the afternoon performance staged on May 4.
She was joined by her husband John Burke, an environmental manager for the Marine Corp, and her mother, Lilia.
"I love the show, it's great, it's really enriching and I like the story behind it—very informative," Ms. Arstill said.
However, underneath the dazzling portrayal of China’s 5,000-year history, are stories depicted in a couple of vignettes that display the ongoing courage of the spiritual practice, Falun Gong.
"I realize that [Shen Yun] is not showing in China, because they still have the repercussions of the persecution that they're going through, and I guess that it's still very strict there,” Ms. Arstill said. “They do have a rich culture, but nobody knows the background of it.”
For that very reason, Shen Yun formed in 2006 specifically to restore China's rich traditional culture, encaptured in the following paragraph from the company’s website.
“After more than 60 years of Communist rule in China, and especially after the Cultural Revolution, Chinese traditional culture has been all but completely demolished. However, the deeper spiritual core of the ancient culture, with its values of benevolence, honor, propriety, wisdom, and sincerity, as well as a reverence for the gods and the heavens, cannot be destroyed.”
Exquisitely attired dancers, vocalists and solo musicians play out China’s beloved legends, ethnic traditions, folk tales and contemporary stories in a portrayal of this ancient era complemented by hi-tech digital backdrops.
Another unique feature is the Shen Yun Orchestra’s fusion of ancient Chinese and Western instruments in original composition.
"Love them, they're excellent, they're very good, I used to play the violin, I love to watch them," said Ms. Arstill whose musical background includes playing the trumpet and piano.
Her husband said, "It's really good, it's good to see the history, the culture and all the different dances."
He was most impressed by the lively drumming and the colorful costumes in the dance, Northeastern Drummers.
The Northeastern Drummers is a lively folk 'waist drum' dance, characterized for its unique figure-eight arm and leg movements.
Ms. Arstill’s mother also liked the show. “It's so entertaining, especially the costumes and so fashionable the colorful costumes, and I like the dancers … I think it was done so nicely."
Reporting by Flora Ge and Cheryl Casati.
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts will perform in Escondido, San Diego, at the California Center for the Arts, May 3-5, and the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Orange County, May 6-8. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
