(Minghui.org) The Bob Carr Performing Arts Center was the proud host of the Shen Yun Performing Arts International Company for three exhilarating shows in Orlando, Florida, on January 15-17, 2013.

Writer Inspired by Shen Yun: “It Reminds Me of Dancing Flowers!”

Poet Ms. Amera Douglas said that Shen Yun sparked her inspiration and creativity

Ms. Amera Douglas, a writer, poet, and mental health therapist, said she was inspired by the Shen Yun performance.

“I think it’s beautiful,” she said. “I’ve never seen anything like this before. This is my first time to come here, so I’m really impressed with the show. It’s beautiful. It reminds me of dancing flowers!”

Ms. Douglas said that Chinese dance is very expressive because it uses the medium of dance to tell a complete story, which makes the story even more powerful.

Shen Yun gave Ms. Douglas her first glimpse into just how steeped in tradition Chinese dancing is and how dancers express their history and culture through dance.

She said that Shen Yun sparked her inspiration and creativity.

“I’m a writer, so [Shen Yun] just inspires me to write,” she said. “I’m writing a novel right now. This is just sparking my creativity and giving me inspiration—just the beauty of it and the grace and the elegance. It’s just making me want to write.”

Shen Yun “A Cultural Experience,” Says Heirloom-Clothing Designer

Rich and Olga Russell enjoyed “a cultural experience”

Also in the audience were Rich and Olga Russell who shared that the performance was “fabulous.”

Mr. Russell said he was hooked after his wife showed him a Shen Yun brochure. He knew he had to see the show.

Mrs. Russell handcrafts heirloom clothes for children, for a living, so she was quite impressed by Shen Yun’s costumes, which are also handmade.

“Shen Yun’s costume artists collect countless designs of traditional attire, ranging from those of emperors, ministers, and generals to the everyday clothing of the common people,” the website states.

“The costumes, the colors, the dancing—all of it is fabulous,” Mrs. Russell enthused.

Mr. Russell, a director of defense electronics infrared technology, added, “The music was excellent. We are in the front row, so we get to experience the orchestra right up close. They are wonderful.”

Mr. Russell described the male dancers as “very handsome” and the female dancers as “pretty.” He was very impressed by their talent and enthusiasm.

“It was quite a cultural experience,” Mrs. Russell said.

Retired Psychologist and Wife Find Encouragement in Shen Yun

Richard and Marjorie Tindell had a very peaceful feeling after attending Shen Yun

Also attending the show were cultural enthusiasts, Richard and Marjorie Tindell. The couple received their tickets as a Christmas gift from their children.

“It is encouraging,” Mrs. Tindell said of the show. “And it gets your mind off of some of the craziness [in the world].”

“It’s so beautiful, just so beautiful. It gives you a very peaceful feeling.”

In contrast to the violence that is typically presented on TV today, Mr. Tindell, a retired psychologist, shared how Shen Yun invokes “positive attitudes.” and “gives you a sense of renewing in your spirit.”

In order to get a close-up of the performers' faces, Mrs. Tindell brought her binoculars. “Oh, the girls are so pretty,” she said.

“Everybody looks so nice! Just very handsome men, beautiful ladies.”

“You Could Feel the Story Behind the Dance”

(L–R) Chuck Wilder, Karen Reynolds, Richard Henry, and Ms. Grant-Henry attended the Shen Yun performance at Orlando’s Bob Carr Performing Arts Center, Jan. 16. “The show was very, very good. We enjoyed it,” Ms. Grant-Henry said. (Photo courtesy of The Epoch Times)

Ms. Grant-Henry, a high school student; Richard Henry, a software-company owner; Chuck Wilder, an estate lawyer; and Karen Reynolds, a nurse, together caught the Jan. 16 performance at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Center.

Mr. Henry thought the show was “wonderful,” adding, “I loved the wushu.” Wushu, or martial arts, movements are shown in the dance Tang Dynasty Battleground.

Regarding the dance portraying the Chinese regime’s persecution of the spiritual practice, Falun Gong, also called Falun Dafa, Mr. Henry said, “I loved the depiction of the persecution that is happening in China. I really appreciate the way they interpreted that into dance.”

“One thing I noticed throughout … you could feel the story, the story behind the dance,” Ms. Reynolds said. “Every dance had its own feeling.”

“The father and daughter, the one about the persecution [of Falun Gong], really brought home what is happening today. Sad to see that that is happening in the world. … Sad to see that people aren’t allowed to be free, to practice what they want to practice,” she said in reference to the dance An Unexpected Encounter.

Mr. Henry thought the dancers in the Mongolian Bowl Dance, were “very, very, very skillful.” The performance portrays Mongolian women emerging from their tents balancing bowls on their heads in a dance of welcome.

The strength shown in the dance of the Han imperial court also won his admiration: “The men dancing, where they had their robes with the long sleeves.” “I thought it was very good, a very good depiction,” he said.

Mr. Wilder said he “liked the color and the motion and all the flowing [costumes].”

“The show was very, very good,” said Ms. Grant-Henry, who is a high school student. “We enjoyed it. We liked the colors. The dancers were gorgeous. I liked how the girls, when they danced, you didn’t hear them touch the ground. It was so light and airy—very light. Graceful.”

“I used to dance for seven years, but I stopped. This really made me want to go back to dance,” she added.

“Everyone Should See Shen Yun,” Says TV Producer

Martial arts champion Ms. Wong (L) and Ms. Rienan, promoter and TV producer, attend Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Bob Carr Centre on Jan. 16. (Photo courtesy of NTD Television)

Ms. Rienan, a television producer, was accompanied to the show by her friend, Ms. Wong, a four-time regional martial arts champion from China. They both thoroughly enjoyed the show.

“Traditional dance is very pretty and professional, very nice,” Ms. Wong said.

In 2010, Ms. Rienan produced and promoted the first Chinese Film Festival in New York at the Lincoln Center. She thought Shen Yun was very well-promoted and very well-received.

“I recommend it [Shen Yun] to everyone—from the youngest children to the eldest senior … It will lift everyone's spirit,” Ms. Rienan said.

“Great show, great performance,” Ms. Rienan said. “I think it’s wonderful. I think the costumes were extraordinary, and the performers were extraordinary. I think everyone should see this.”

Ms. Rienan particularly enjoyed the Mongolian Bowl Dance, saying, “I love everything from the costume to the choreography, and the whole concept behind it.”

Sources:
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/shen-yun-on-tour/shen-yun-inspires-writer-336829.html
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/shen-yun-on-tour/heirloom-clothing-designer-shen-yun-a-cultural-experience-336505.html
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/shen-yun-on-tour/shen-yun-renews-the-spirit-337446.html
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/shen-yun-on-tour/you-could-feel-the-story-behind-the-dance-337472.html
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/shen-yun-on-tour/tv-producer-everyone-should-see-shen-yun-337036.html