(Clearwisdom.net) "I think it's brilliant," said Mrs. Davenport, describing Shen Yun Performing Arts after seeing it's opening performance at Calgary's Jubilee Auditorium with her husband on Sunday.

Mr. and Mrs. Davenport

As a bassoonist with a symphony orchestra, Mrs. Davenport showed great appreciation for the Shen Yun orchestra, unique in that it combines classical Eastern and Western instruments. She commented, "I am surprised how Western it is in sound. It's very good. The music makes sense, the form as much as the harmony. The form makes sense to us."

"The dancing is splendid - really good. And the drumming is spectacular. I really enjoyed that," said Mr. Davenport, a geologist.

Mrs. Davenport added, "I think the use of modern media is very interesting. It really, really works" referring to the state of the art digital backdrops that add depth to the performances.

Referring to the traditional values and rich culture, Mrs. Davenport said, "It's very interesting. It's not something we are taught to think of as a Chinese element. We are used to thinking of communism only, so it is very interesting to see this."

"The precision is remarkable, the performers are full of energy-- they just shine, they're radiant!" enthused Ms. Forrest, a dance specialist. She and her son attended the show. She was quite impressed, "I think it's wonderful that they present the ancient dances."

Dance specialist Ms. Forrest, and her son

Ms. Forrest was the artistic director of an Alberta dance company for 12 years. She has extensive dance training and a background as a professional dancer, teacher, and choreographer in modern, creative, and jazz dance. For the past 15 years she has taught in schools as a dance specialist.

She fully appreciated the classical dances and commented, "Beautiful! They're really interesting, very rhythmical, very intricate. They have a lovely flow and rhythm."

Ms. Forrest added that she was also especially impressed by the soprano, Bai Xue. "I could tell that she had a very excellent facility, as they say. I know enough about opera to know that the facility was very well trained. It was beautiful. Coupled with the backdrops, they really create an environment with the scenery."

Mr. Curtis, an actor in one of Calgary's most popular theater companies, attended the performance with his daughter, Arialle. "You know, it's quite stunning [the wide] range of culture it covers. To see the dancing, the drumming, the precision, the costumes--it's spectacular! It's a spectacular show. And to understand that it is, in fact, performed by Chinese is quite amazing. It's very interesting to have that angle."

Mr. Curtis, an actor in one of Calgary's most popular theater companies, and his daughter

Mr. Curtis said, "The choreography is a very large, challenging job with that many performers on stage. The choreographer has done a remarkable job organizing all these people in a very precise fashion. There are so many things to like about the show."

He added, "The costumes are amazing, the dancing is amazing. It's wonderful to see traditional dance. It's very rare to see something like this. So to see it is quite an insight."

Father and daughter explained, "It's the first time for both of us to see this show. The music is remarkable. I find it fascinating, the combination of the Western instruments with the erhu [a Chinese two-stringed instrument]... It's a beautiful instrument. I have always loved the sound of that instrument. And the combination of the orchestra with the dance is beautiful."

"I loved the backdrops. The piece about spring was beautiful, because it's spring, the pink flowers, flowers blooming. They all looked like they were coming out of the ground and into full bloom like spring had arrived. And in the backdrop--you could see the beautiful pink flowers in the beautiful backdrop, which was lovely. It was a lovely image. So, because it is spring right now, that just made my heart beat."

Source: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/15256/
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