ORTLAND, Ore.—The Keller Auditorium, the nexus of the city’s fine arts and music scene in the heart of downtown Portland, built in 1917, was the venue for the internationally acclaimed Shen Yun Performing Arts company’s one-night only performance in Oregon's most populous city on its Spring Tour 2009 of the West Coast, bringing authentic Chinese culture to life.
Ms. Vorst, an international folk dance teacher, and her husband, a musician, found the performance very inspiring.
“It’s very interesting. It’s very colorful,” she said.
The dance that moved Ms. Vorst the most was Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution. The performance tells the tale of a father who is persecuted for practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline banned in China. The scenes that ultimately unfold in this dance present a message of hope and bespeak of a longstanding Chinese belief that good people are ultimately rewarded, even if not in this lifetime.
“It made me realize—think about all the persecution of people around the world. … That was the most moving piece for me,” said Ms. Vorst.
“But as a folk dance teacher myself, I love the chopstick dance [Mongolian Chopsticks]," she said.
In this dance the vivacity of ethnic dance from China’s hinterlands bursts forth in the contagiously joyful and festive use of chopsticks by these Mongolian women. The passionate warmth of the dancers, who use bundles of chopsticks to greet guests, mirrors the charm of the region’s vast plains. Hints of nomadic life peek through in the rich range of bodily movements, which include arms undulating in imitation of eagles.
“It was exciting. It was rhythmic. … Yes, I was just happy to watch it,” she added.
As an international folk dance teacher of children, Ms. Vorst enjoyed the Chinese classical dance, the centerpiece of the Shen Yun shows. It is among the most comprehensive dance systems in the world and is known for its expressiveness in addition to its training for strength and flexibility.
“It’s very beautiful. I think there’s a universality to classical dance. Even though this is Chinese … it encompasses classical dance from around the world.
“The background was very interesting—the graphics in the background also. … A lot of it is different from what I’ve seen," she said.
The digital backdrops include scenes of majestic celestial palaces, vast Mongolian grasslands, and cascading clouds—giving each dance an added visual depth and grandeur.
Referring to the cast of the Shen Yun dancers, Ms. Vorst said, “It’s beautiful. … When you see so many dancers all at once, it’s very inspiring.”
New York-based Shen Yun was founded by leading Chinese artists seeking to revive China’s traditional culture and present it to audiences around the world through Chinese classical dance and music.
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/17045/
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