Australian Performing Arts Professionals Astounded by Shen Yun (Photos)

(Clearwisdom.net)

Australian Actress: "Inspired"

Actress Deborah Freeman and Peter Arena at the Big Top Theatre, Luna Park.

On Tuesday, May 18, Australia was again blessed by Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company, as Shen Yun performed at the Big Top Theatre in Luna Park in Sydney.

"Oh, I'm awe inspired, it's beautiful," said Ms. Freeman, an actress who says she has acted on stage at the Opera House and theater and on the Home and Away >television series.

"I think it's beautiful, absolutely beautiful. It takes you away to another realm the way they do it.

"You know, the way they do the backdrops and bring it in, and the way they dance, and the colors--it's beautiful."

Ms. Freeman also loved the 40-plus piece orchestra that uses both Chinese and Western instruments.

"Oh, the music is mesmerizing, The technical side, just amazing to me ... they're very subtle, in just the way they move and bend," she added.

Ms. Freeman raved about the way ancient Chinese culture was presented to the audience.

"There's another thing I was going to say," said Ms. Freeman. "They tell a story in their dance; it's not just a dance on stage, it's actually feeding your mind, it's not just feeding your eyes. It's beautiful. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I enjoy the cultural side of the traditional dancing, that's one thing I wouldn't miss, the traditional dancing.

"I would love to see it again when it comes back next February," she said.

Professional Dancer: "Very Spiritual"

Mignon Hadenfeldt, formerly a professional dancer, has performed in many places around the world, including Asia and Europe.

"It felt very spiritual. I also loved the expressiveness of their stories. Each little section was like a story. It was well performed ... also well expressed on the faces, the movements, and everything. You could read the story from the movements. I just thought it was beautiful. The costumes--so many parts of it were gorgeous--it's very soothing, spiritual, relaxing. I liked it visually."

With her own background as a dancer, Ms. Hadenfeldt appreciated the performers' skills, commenting, "The training behind it must be really good. Even though it shows the traditional, it also shows more of the modern. And I can see in the way they move, and their expressions, that there is really a lot of training behind it."

The high tech background was not wasted on Ms. Hadenfeldt. "I loved the background. The technical side of it was fantastic. Amazing! I loved the way they brought it right in, or else a little section like the mountain, when she was hidden in the mountain. That was wonderful, fantastic!" She was referring to "Splitting the Mountain," in which a goddess is imprisoned inside a mountain, according to a renowned Chinese fable.

She adored the exposure to genuine Chinese culture. "It was the modern with the old. I thought how the costumes blended in with the background was also fantastic, unbelievable.

"But I loved the spiritual side of it, the angels going up to heaven within the screen, the dancers disappearing, but it was like they followed on. The way it was done was really good. I haven't seen anything like that before. Not on this scale. So it was beautiful. And the girls are like little dolls--they're beautiful, aren't they?"

She enjoyed all the pieces, in particular "Handkerchiefs" and "In a Miao Village." "I loved the one with the little bells where they wore the little skirts." The Miao, one of China's oldest ethnic groups, are known for their elaborate headdresses and ornate silver jewelry, with jingling bells adding to the sounds and colors of this distinctive dance.

"That was beautiful, but there were so many parts that were lovely. Very precise."

Event Organizer: "Fantastic!"

Katherine Von-Dinklager is the event organizer of the Universal Peace Foundation in Sydney. She attended the performance with a friend and told reporters it was "fantastic."

"I loved it. I loved everything" she said.

She could not single out any particular part of the performance as her favorite, saying, "Every part was very good."

Having worked for the Universal Peace Foundation, a spiritual movement dedicated to seeking self awareness and holistic philosophies, Mrs. Von-Dinglager appreciated the spiritual content of Shen Yun, which represents the deep spirituality of Chinese culture.

Sources:

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/35747/

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/35724/

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/35736/