(Clearwisdom.net) Shen Yun Performing Arts graced the stage at Orange County Performing Arts Centre for the first time on Tuesday, May 12, as part of its West Coast Spring Tour 2009. The first of two shows presented in Orange County was enthusiastically greeted by a packed house.

Ms. Covell, President of Fingerhut Galleries, had a special interest in seeing the world-renowned company because her son lives in Taiwan. She said, "I'm trying to learn as much as I can about the Chinese culture and this was amazing.

"Art conveys the spirit of each individual, and I think this show did a beautiful job of conveying the spiritual side of life, which, of course, is reflected in art."

For Ms. Covell the message was: "Unity, harmony, peace, and to stay on your path."

She also enjoyed the the special backdrop. "I thought that it was wonderful. It gave a tremendous depth, a feeling of almost being in a movie, like you were part of the movie."

Ms. Covell drew inspiration from what she saw as the way of the Buddha--compassion and forgiveness--and said, "We embrace that in our daily life, even in the simplest things, including the way we eat and the way we treat other people. The inspiration is a deeper connection to all of us despite our obvious differences."

She concluded by recommending that everyone see the show. "I would recommend it to everyone, and I'd hope to see it again."

Ms. Price, a stage production coordinator in Orange County, was thoroughly impressed by Shen Yun, and said, "I love it, it's beautiful. Very graceful. I don't know the stories. This would be the first time I've seen a story like that told on stage by dancers, but it's really easy to follow, very clear."

From her standpoint as a stage production professional, Ms. Price said of the show, "It's very well put together, really tight. It's very professional and very detailed.

"The girls with the pink fans in 'Welcoming Spring' were incredible! That was really amazing, visually. And the drums! That was really different and stood out for me."

Ms. Price was intrigued by the story-based dance dramas depicting the spirit and essence of China's age-old culture. She was also impressed by the music and the singers and commented on how beautiful the singing was. "It's really obvious that they are classically trained. Very, very professional. And the orchestra was wonderful, flawless."

Her friend, Mr. Shim, a Korean-American and lighting and motion picture specialist, also thoroughly enjoyed the show, saying, "I think it's fabulous. I love it." Mr. Shim added that, although he had been raised in the U.S., he did have some familiarity with the ancient stories.

Freelance art writer and artist Ms. Ringwald was part of the appreciative audience on May 12. She said, "They had very wonderful male dancers, wonderful women, too, but the male dancers were strong."

Freelance art writer and artist Ms. Ringwald

Ms. Ringwald was impressed by "the very lyrical, kind of angelic ... women dancing with white and flowing kind of sleeves ['Flowing Sleeves']. ... they kind of had an angelic, supernatural look to it."

She was moved by the performance "Dignity and Compassion," which touches upon contemporary issues unfolding in China regarding the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. She said, "That scene was interesting, it was dramatic, it had drama... it was beautiful."

Because she had majored in comparative literature, Ms. Ringwald was familiar with ancient Chinese myths and legends. "The stories in China are very magical, very mystical, they're like fairy tales, very supernatural. I'm familiar with them," she said.

She felt that telling these stories through dance was "very lovely," and saw a universal connection. "On one level, all of these cultures are very connected. It's beautiful to present your culture and history."

Source:

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/16764/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/16763/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/16762/