Falun Dafa Minghui.org www.minghui.org PRINT

Audiences in Four U.S. Cities Praise Shen Yun for Bringing Chinese Traditional Culture to the Stage (Photos)

May 13, 2012

(Minghui.org) New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts International Company wound up its 2012 world tour by staging multiple shows, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Columbus, Ohio, Dayton, Ohio, and St. Petersburg, Florida.

Businessman says Shen Yun is "fantastic, unbelievable, beautiful!"

Carl Lindell shares his Shen Yun experience at the Mahaffey Theater on May 5. (Qing Lan/The Epoch Times)

Carl Lindell shares his Shen Yun experience at the Mahaffey Theater on May 5.

Carl Lindell, a local businessman engaged in real estate, the automobile business, and banking, was accompanied by his wife Lyda, at the Shen Yun Performing Arts show held at St. Petersburg, Florida's Mahaffey Theater on May 5, 2012.

“It’s fantastic. It’s unbelievable. It’s beautiful!” Mr. Lindell said, describing the performance.

“I love the screens [the digital backdrops]. I love the dancers, the costumes, the music. It’s all great. That’s why we came. We love Chinese history and its culture.

“It’s a very unique show all the way around—everything is unique about it.”

He described the dancers as “Very athletic and amazingly gifted.”

“It’s beautiful, too—the colors and the back-lit screen, the costumes, and all. It’s just a nice experience. It really is,” Mr. Lindell enthused.

Lyda Lindell, an eye surgeon, was equally impressed by the show. “Oh, the show was lovely. I’ve never really seen anything like it. It’s very unusual, very athletic.

“I loved the silk sleeve dance ["Sleeves of Silk"] and the lotus dance ["Lotus Leaves"]. It was very beautiful, and I like the way the animation is done from the back. It was very interesting,” she said, referring to the digitalized backdrops.

Lyda Lindell thought that Shen Yun Performing Arts' performance "was lovely." (Qing Lan/The Epoch Times)

Lyda Lindell thought that Shen Yun Performing Arts' performance "was lovely."

The colorful and dynamic backdrops are interactive, making it appear as if the dancers seamlessly float between the stage and the projected scenes.

“The singers are powerful. Everything has been wonderful,” Mrs. Lindell exclaimed. “I’ve really never seen anything quite like it, and I’d love to see more.”

Theater owner: "We’re privileged to have [Shen Yun] appear here in Dayton"

A standing ovation for Shen Yun at Benjamin and Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center. (Edward J, Dai/The Epoch Times)

A standing ovation for Shen Yun at Benjamin and Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center.

Benjamin Schuster, who happens to live in the penthouse above the Benjamin and Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center in Dayton, Ohio, where Shen Yun performed on May 1, 2012, thoroughly enjoyed the show. “I liked all the numbers. They’re done gracefully and show a lot of agility on the part of the dancers,” he said.

Accompanying Mr. Schuster was Cynthia Solomon, president of Sheppard-Solomon Biomedical Consulting, who found the underlying spiritual nature of Shen Yun interesting.

“My daughter saw the program in New York at the Lincoln Center and was also very impressed,” Mr. Schuster said. “Well, it’s very well done, and we’re privileged to have them appear here in Dayton,” he said.

Two professionals describe Shen Yun as "overwhelming!"

Duffy Jamieson and Geri Jamieson attend Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Ohio Theatre on Friday, April 27. (Charlie Lu/The Epoch Times)

Duffy Jamieson and Geri Jamieson attend Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Ohio Theatre on Friday, April 27.

Also enjoying the Shen Yun show on April 27 was Duffy Jamieson, assistant chief and attorney of employment discrimination cases at the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. He was was joined by Ms. Geri Jamieson, an ESL junior and high school teacher at the Ohio Theatre in Dayton, Ohio.

“It’s overwhelming!” he exclaimed.

Mr. Jamieson highly praised the show saying, “The colors are beautiful, everybody is so … beautiful, and the orchestra! We were sitting in the front row, so the orchestra is fantastic and it’s just, the combination of the colors and sounds, it’s overwhelming!”

Ms. Jamieson was taken by Shen Yun’s display of classical Chinese culture and the use of state-of-the-art digital backdrops.

“We were just talking about the animation and how much we enjoyed it and how interesting it was. The colors are very beautiful.”

Mr. Jamieson agreed and added, “It’s so great to see how people fly in the background and then appear on stage. I love that!”

Referring to the performance, "An Era Begins," in which a demon horde abruptly descends to earth, assuming human form, Ms. Jamieson remarked, “I thought that was really powerful. It was like, it makes sense, you know. I understood the message … I thought that was great!”

The couple was touched by the performances depicting the persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners in China.

Ms. Jamieson explained, “We were thinking, like ‘Wow’ this is very interesting. How do you practice this in Beijing, or how do you practice this in Shanghai? We didn’t know that the company was based in New York, so that helped explain it. In light of that, I think it’s a very nice addition, very surprising and thoughtful actually, to let people know that.”

Mr. Jamieson added, “It was interesting. It was eye opening. It caught our attention and made us sit up straight. China is a very big country and has a lot of people and a lot of problems.”

Ms. Jamieson said she would share with her students what she experienced through Shen Yun. “To always to experience other cultures, to see other people’s points of view, appreciate their culture, their music, their language, what they have to offer.”

Mr. Jamieson summed up his experience by saying, “There’s a lot to learn.”

Teacher and Asian art collector: "I love the show"

Larry Hullander shares his Shen Yun experience after attending in Chattanooga. (Mary Silver/The Epoch Times)

Larry Hullander shares his Shen Yun experience after attending the Chattanooga performance.

As a collector of asian art, Larry Hullander was drawn to the Shen Yun show held at the Tivoli Theatre in Chattanooga, Tennessee on April 24, 2012. “I love the show, the music is fantastic, the costumes, the dancers. It’s really good,” he said.

Mr. Hullander, who teaches gifted students at Woodstation School, thought of his students while enjoying the performance. “Oh, I think it would be great for the students to be here too, I’m sure a lot of the parents would want to bring them.”

Sources:
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/shen-yun-on-tour/businessman-says-of-shen-yun-its-all-great-233893.html
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/shen-yun-on-tour/theater-owner-appreciates-shen-yun-231915.html
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/shen-yun-on-tour/columbus-professionals-praise-shen-yun-eye-opening-230784.html
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/shen-yun-on-tour/teacher-and-asian-art-collector-i-love-the-show-227315.html