(Clearwisdom.net) BRISBANE, Australia--On Tuesday, June 1, Brisbane theatre-goers flocked into the Lyric Theatre at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) for the opening night of Shen Yun Performing Arts.

Lisa Curry OAM, former Olympian swimmer, was in the audience to experience the New York-based Shen Yun's depiction of 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture through classical Chinese dance and music.

Ms. Curry said she greatly appreciated the traditional Chinese dance, "I love it [Shen Yun] because my daughter is a dancer, so I appreciate dance."

Lisa Curry OAM, former Olympian swimmer

As an elite athlete, Ms. Curry was amazed at the abilities of the performers, "I appreciate the athleticism of everybody. The height that they're jumping is amazing, because I look at the athletic side of it as well."

Shen Yun presents different ethnic dances from various regions of China, something Ms. Curry liked very much. She said, "The dancers are amazing of course, when you look at the simplicity of it all and the athleticism, it's all amazing."

She said it was important for Australians to experience Chinese culture, and one way to do that was to experience Shen Yun.

Ancient legends and modern stories brought messages of good character and hope to the audience. "I think it's great to see the history and the modern side of it as well, so it is all good, very exciting," Ms. Curry said. She appreciated each of the performances and said, "They have all stood out, I think it's all been really good."

Ms. Curry was amazed by the ability of pianist Peijong Hsieh, who accompanied the solo singers and the erhu player. "The pianist is really good. My brother is a pianist as well, so there is another appreciation factor there of how well she plays and possibly how unappreciated, or how difficult it is to play that type of music, so she is very good."

Shen Yun uses a unique state-of-the-art backdrop which depicts breathtaking landscapes from China and heavenly realms. Referring to the backdrops, Ms. Curry said, "I've been to China, so it's awesome."

Ms. Curry, speaking of her family and friends, said, "I'd actually like them to all to come along and watch [Shen Yun], so I'll certainly be telling them all to come along and watch."

Ms. Curry is one of Australia's most popular personalities, a three-time Olympian and Commonwealth Games competitor, spanning 17 years and collecting 24 gold medals, 21 silver and 8 bronze medals at national and international competitions. Today, Ms. Curry is managing director of her own multinational company.

Queensland Weekend Presenter: Shen Yun is "Absolutely brilliant"

The first day of winter brought the opening performance of Shen Yun Performing Arts to Brisbane. Many celebrities were in attendance amongst the warmly responsive audience, including Jessica Skarratt, one of Channel 7's Queensland Weekender presenters.

"It's absolutely brilliant," said Ms. Skarratt. "It's colorful, creative, cultural."

The Shen Yun costumes are tailored with meticulous care and Ms. Skarratt appreciated the dazzling display, saying, "I absolutely loved the costumes, the expressions on the dancers' and performers' faces. They're so expressive."

This is the fourth year that Shen Yun has included Australia in its World Tour, and the first time the live orchestra of both traditional Chinese and western instruments playing original scores has accompanied them. Ms. Skarratt enthusiastically said, "I think the orchestra is absolutely fantastic. I guess they sometimes don't get much attention because you can't see them. But the scores and the music have been brilliant."

Ms. Skarratt, an avid photographer, has had many television roles, best known for 'Totally Wild' and her latest role is a presenter and producer of Channel Seven's much loved lifestyle and travel show, "Queensland Weekender."

Queensland TV Anchor Impressed by Shen Yun

Jessica van Vonderen is the host of Stateline in Queensland and also the state political reporter for ABC TV news. She was in the audience for Shen Yun's opening night in Brisbane and greatly enjoyed watching Shen Yun for the first time.

"I really liked the costumes, and the music is great as well," she said. "I enjoyed the first dance with the girls with the really long sleeves. I thought they looked amazing.

In the dance "Flowing Silk," the ladies create images of rippling water using their silken sleeves or "water sleeves," a favorite element in classical Chinese dance.

Ms. van Vonderen appreciated learning about traditional Chinese culture, saying, "I never knew anything about it and so it's interesting just to broaden your horizons and learn a little bit more."

Shen Yun had introduced a dimension of Chinese culture that she had not been aware of. "The message I'm getting is that the Chinese culture is quite steeped in religion over a very long period of time," she said.

Ms. Van Vonderen was touched by the contemporary scenes depicting the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China. She said, "I think that the performers are quite brave in raising things like Falun Gong, given the persecution and things that they still face, so yes that's very brave."

In summing up her experience of Shen Yun, Ms. van Vonderen said she had found the performance "entertaining and informative, and the athletic ability of the performers was also really impressive."

Source:

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/36596/

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/36614/

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/36594/