(Clearwisdom.net) The Shen Yun Performing Arts company performed its final show at Jones Hall in Houston Texas tonight. The show was beautiful, dynamic and surprising according to two artists, Mrs. Tompkins and her daughter.
Mrs. Tompkins and her daughter after final show at Jones Hall
"It gives you a feeling for Chinese culture. We've never been to Asia, so that's been interesting," said Miss Tompkins, a musician.
"It's been surprising. It's not what I expected at all... Being so used to American dance shows, you're used to intensity, so you have to learn to slow down. It's a very different pace, a very different way of being. It's a different culture, so you have to slow down your American mind." said Mrs. Tompkins, who is a novelist.
Shen Yun, the New York-based classical Chinese dance and music company, features ancient myths and legends, as well as real tales of people overcoming persecution in today's China.
"The communist part was upsetting--the beating of the mother and the child. Communism is still alive and well in China, and you don't think about it that much here. We think about it, but we don't realize that it's still a prevalent and active problem."
"Viewing [the performance] is lovely, and the women are so ultra, ultra feminine--I forgot. We've become a sort of feminist society here. That extreme femininity is--it's really beautiful... maybe we hide it a little bit. We just need to be reminded of what that extreme expression of femininity is."
Miss Tompkins, with her training in music, said she liked Shen Yun's one-of-a-kind orchestra which comprises both Western and Chinese instruments.
"I've been latching onto certain beats that I really liked, that I think [are] prevalent in Chinese music. I'm in love with Chinese music."
"I've always loved the drums," she continues. "I think there's something very passionate about them. Something very... your heart can move with them. Sometimes they help you get into more of the performance."
As for the mixing of Western and Eastern instruments, Miss Tompkins thought they mixed "really, really well" and her mother agreed.
"When I first got here I thought it was a recording."
"The dynamic of their movements and loudness and the softness and the instruments they were using--it's very beautiful," added Miss Tompkins.
The pair was surprised by the dancers' amazing abilities and to not see any partnering between male and female dancers.
"This is more of taking it as a whole," the younger woman said. "Like each section is part of a whole, like how they move."
"The show definitely gave me a smile on [my] face. A lot of the dance shows out right now are very dark. This is very clean and fresh, and it gives you more of like a..."
"I keep getting a childlike innocence," her mother offered. "Compared to what we're used to seeing, this is purity."
TV Host Says of Shen Yun: "This performance can truly be shared among the world"
Audience tonight at Jones Hall
Among the packed theater was Ms. Trent, a pharmacist and local TV host.
"Oh, it was an exceptional performance," she said. "The costumes are just beautiful! And the dancers were just marvelous. I can't wait until next year [to see it again]."
Ms. Trent commented on the piece that depicts the modern-day courage of practitioners of Falun Gong, a traditional spiritual discipline, who are being persecuted in China for their beliefs.
"I was very, very impressed... to communicate to the world of what is going [on] with communism in China, and how it has affected the people's lives. Especially the part where the Falun Gong people cannot speak or cannot follow their beliefs. It was a really exceptional performance. It was really well put."
Ms. Trent enjoyed the spiritual aspect of the show saying, "To see the Buddhas and to be portrayed, to share with the Western world, especially the United States, it's quite enlightening.
"At the same time, it's a message that I think should be shared, not just in Houston or the United States, but I think this performance can truly be shared among the world."
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Category: Shen Yun Performing Arts
