(Clearwisdom.net) Beautiful in its authenticity, Shen Yun Performing Arts 2009 World Tour opened at Hartford's renowned theater, The Bushnell, on March 21. With an annual roster of over 350 events and an annual audience of over 300,000, The Bushnell is a major economic force in the Greater Hartford region and the state. It has delighted and inspired audiences for more than seven decades and plays a leading role in Connecticut's cultural life, according to its website.

Mr. Long performs the Japanese lion dance, Shishi-mai, and tells bi-lingual stories in both Japanese and English.

Mr. Long was one of the theatergoers at the performance. He performs the Japanese lion dance, Shishi-mai, and tells bi-lingual stories in both Japanese and English. He said, "I am very much aware of Asian culture and arts, since I lived in Japan for many years, and I'm familiar with the drumming and the traditional instruments of Asia, Japan, and China."

Mr. Long had seen other shows, but "here you are ... showing a series of vignettes, little short stories. The costumes are very colorful and ornate. The program is amazing. I love a live orchestra with dance, because it gives it a wonderful energy."

Ms. Leah, a behavioral analyst, was in the audience and was impressed with what she saw. "The show was absolutely phenomenal. I particularly loved the costumes and the movements. I understand how difficult it is to do this. They make it look easy, even though those movements are difficult. My daughter takes martial arts, and I see how she has to be precise, so I was able to appreciate it a little bit more--how hard it is. I liked the fact that it told a story, and I liked that it incorporated history from the beginning to now. When the drummers came out--I remembered that I learned something about them in high school. We did a whole unit on China from the start--it was in the 80s, and it was about everything, like the hardships and all other issues that were going on. The dances were incorporated into everyday life like the flower dance and the chopstick dance [Mongolian Chopsticks]--the whole culture."

Among the audience was Mr. Antonio Santini, a lumber company employee, and his fiancee, Anne, a nurse, were among the audience. They shared their thoughts about the show. "I love it. I love it. Everything is beautiful. The costumes are gorgeous, and the scenes are out of this world. They should do this more often here so that people can learn about things like this," Mr. Santini said.

He said, "I like Chinese culture and everything Chinese. My friends tell me that I am Chinese, even though I am Puerto Rican. I love this performance. The whole thing will stay with me--the whole thing, everything. I will tell my friends [so] they will see the greatest thing in the world."

His fiancee, Anne said, "It was a very enjoyable and memorable experience all around. This is the first time I have seen a Chinese show, and I learned the true story of Mulan."

Source: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/14049/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/14060/

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Category: Shen Yun Performing Arts