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CANBERRA—Woden Rotary Club President Gary Scott and his wife Pat Schmidt, have been to Mongolia, so when the Shen Yun Performing Arts International Company added the dance Herding on the Grasslands to the program, they were euphoric.
The New York-based company played its last show in Australia as art of its 2011 World Tour on Wednesday evening, March 9, to a full house at the Canberra Theatre. The couple were among those who clapped, cheered and whistled through three curtain calls, bringing an end to a successful and happy evening.
“I am enjoying it enormously,” Mr. Scott said. “My wife and I have been to Mongolia, it just reminded me of the grasslands in Mongolia. It was wonderful.”
Every year, Shen Yun unveils entirely new dances, songs, and musical scores. At the core of Shen Yun’s performances is classical Chinese dance with China's numerous ethnic and folk dance styles rounding out the experience.
Animated backdrops transport the audience to another world. Projected behind the dancers, hi-tech images lift the stage and set it amidst blossoming landscapes, deep forests, Mongolian prairies, or celestial paradises.
“Well, I think we see China as a very rich culture and think it is fantastic to see the cultural side of China,' Mr. Scott said. "It’s not something I have seen before so I would say to people there are parts of China and aspects of it that we need to find out about.”
He said, “The backdrop is very spectacular. It is very interesting the way the dancers disappear and then they are part of the backdrop.”
Ms. Schmidt agreed the exhilarating and colourful presentation was “wonderful, it is full of energy and so athletic these men and women, it is wonderful,” she reiterated. “I like the Mongolian bit too as we’ve been there. I lived some of my life in China so I’ve some memories.”
Rotarians are business and professional people in the community who take on projects to help communities worldwide. The clubs are non-political, non-religious and open to all cultures, races and creeds.
Reporting by NTD Television and Raiatea Tahana-Reese.
Shen Yun Performing Arts International Company completed its Australian-leg of the 2011 World Tour in Canberra and will continue for more shows in Taiwan. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts
