Shen Yun 'Fascinating and enjoyable'
WASHINGTON—The Kennedy Center Opera House hosted the world-class performance of Shen Yun Performing Arts on Aug. 25 in the first of five shows in the nation's capital.
Mr. Emanuel (Manny) Mandel, a holocaust survivor, had come to see this traditional Chinese culture show that promised stories drawn from China's 5,000 year history up to more recent times, presented through classical Chinese dance, song and music.
Mr. Mandel, a psychotherapist and art connoisseur, said that the show was “fascinating and enjoyable, and I could watch another two hours of it!
"These young people must have spent 20 or 30 years training, even if they’re only 20 years old! It’s fascinating to see what they can do," he added.
Mr. Mandel was very impressed with the dancers, saying: "The line, the movements, the facial expressions—we had very good seats, we could see them. I was very impressed by what I saw.
"These people walk as though they were on roller skates. Their shoulders don’t move half an inch. I find it absolutely fascinating, and probably envious!" he said admiringly.
There was so much to see, so much to learn from watching Shen Yun, it was difficult to identify what stood out more than the other.
"I think the whole program was marvelous, the visual, the rear-projection [backdrop] was marvelous. I mean, when you slice off the top of a mountain and move it, [it] was marvelous," he said, referring to the scene Splitting the Mountain.
According to the program, Splitting the Mountain, is a well-known Chinese fairy tale, in which a wandering scholar happens upon the cloak of the goddess San Sheng Mu. Entranced by her beauty, he convinces her to stay with him on Earth, where they marry and have a son.
In concluding, Mr. Mandel said: “But it’s the human, physical demonstration that they do that’s just fascinating ...the thing that impressed me was the physical and musical element that I saw."
August 26, 2010