“I haven’t been able to find a flaw,” said Rosa “Kitty” Gómez Bengoechea, a dancer and dance teacher, who owns two dance schools. “I’ve been to see ballet, I think this is the first ballet where I’ve tried to find a flaw and haven’t found one. The level, the technical level, the show, the expression, the expression of the dancers surprised me. I saw an expression, the story, how they tell it, it blew me away.”
Carlos de la Cuadra, a director of a sales team of the advertising branch of a TV station, shared what he was impressed by after seeing the first half of Shen Yun. “The costumes, the coordination, the effects with the screen, the live music with a fairly large orchestra and a wide variety of instruments, which integrate perfectly with the story being told, are impressive,” he said. “And it’s also dynamic, meaning it’s entertaining. They move from one story to another, perfectly presented by the masters of ceremony, and it’s very entertaining.”
Classical Chinese dance has a history of thousands of years, and is known for its athleticism and expressiveness, which Shen Yun uses to convey the depth and inner meaning of traditional Chinese culture.
“[The dance] has an energy,” said Ms. Gómez Bengoechea. “[The dancers] transmit it, they transmit it all the time, it’s really beautiful.”
“I think it’s what we need right now. I think it’s this type of dance that kids need to see, especially children, because there aren’t many values left. And dance, always classical dance, demonstrates values. But this dance [from Shen Yun], from the very beginning, is teaching you something,” she added.
Maria Jacob Mahu, an office administrator, said Shen Yun’s dances carry energy and good messages. “For people to become aware and be kinder. There’s a lot of love lacking in this world, unfortunately. And that people go back home, that they don’t forget where they come from, their roots.”
Ms. Gómez Bengoechea said she’ll be taking back some ideas to bring to her own dancing and choreography, and that she intends to watch Shen Yun again.
