Shen Yun Captivates Musician

NEW YORK—After seeing Shen Yun Performing Arts at Lincoln Center on Thursday April 19, musician Charles Acito said the performance “has something to offer everyone.”

“The show captivated me—when time flies by you know you’re enjoying it, and that’s the way it was for me when I watched,” he said. “I loved every minute of it.”

New York-based Shen Yun tours the world reviving the 5,000-year-old divinely inspired Chinese culture, one that was nearly destroyed by communist rule and violent campaigns in China, according to the company. With a core of classical Chinese dance, Shen Yun boasts state-of-the-art digital backdrops, colorful, handmade costumes, and a unique orchestra that melds Western and Chinese instruments.

“I was surprised that the music was a combination of Western and Eastern instruments,” said Mr. Acito. “The instrumentation was such that it lent itself to enjoyment for just about everyone. It wasn’t the type of music that is difficult to understand. I appreciated that.”

The choreography in response to the music was terrific.

“The choreography in response to the music was terrific,” he added.

Mr. Acito does ballroom dancing, as well as tap and ballet. He marveled at the movements and skill of Shen Yun’s dancers.

“It amazed me that the moves themselves were intricate yet simplistic in nature,” he said. “The choreography was terrific because it was done in such a manner that everyone in the performance was pretty close to flawless … I don’t know how much time it took to put it all together. But it was absolutely sensational.”

Classical Chinese dance has been passed down within the imperial palace and ancient Chinese theater and opera, explains Shen Yun’s website. “Soaking up profound wisdom from every era and dynasty, it has become a complete system of dance embodying traditional aesthetic principles with its unique dance movements, rhythms, and inner meaning.”

The dance system is both rich with expressive power and one of the most comprehensive systems in the world, requiring extensive training.

Mr. Acito also enjoyed the solo vocalists who use the bel canto singing style while singing in Chinese, an unparallelled method, according to the company’s website. English subtitles are seen on the digital backdrop behind the vocalists.

“I enjoyed every one of them,” said Mr. Acito. “I am quite surprised by the power of the soprano in the end. It really pulled me over.”

Soprano Haolan Geng performed an encore after encouragement from the audience. Like many of the vocalists, she has won multiple awards, such as Gold Prize at the First Music Competition of the Guangdong Arts Festival, and first place of New Tang Dynasty Television’s 2009 International Chinese Vocal Competition.

In the end, Mr. Acito said he enjoyed all aspects of the performance.

“I appreciate everything that I saw,” he said. “I appreciated the music, dancing, singing, costumes, lighting. Everything was just outstanding in the entire performance.”

He left the performance quite happy.

“I took home a feeling of enjoyment,” he said. “I relaxed during the performance—I’ve entered a relaxed state of mind.”

Reporting by NTD Television and Zachary Stieber

Shen Yun Performing Arts, based in New York, tours the world on a mission to revive traditional Chinese culture. Shen Yun Performing Arts Touring Company will perform at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center through April 22.

For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts.

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