Critically acclaimed Chinese dance and music company Shen Yun will be performing at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff on the 27th and 28th of April. Their gloriously colourful and exhilarating shows are an art form several millennia old.
For more information see http://www.wmc.org.uk/index.cfm?alias=shenyun
Chinese dance is refreshingly dynamic and expressive. Ancient legends and heroic figures come to life through its leaps, spins, and delicate gestures.
Now, I’m no expert and our dance correspondent (yes, we have one) is away at the moment so I’ll leave you with what some of the World’s press have had to say about them recently.
“The performances are inspired, the costumes and scenery enchanting, and the show as a whole a delight to experience. And besides its professional excellence, the Spectacular exudes a wonderfully positive karma. These beautiful, gifted people are expressing something that’s both pure and good.”
– Philadelphia Weekly
“Boldly ambitious and enormously popular… a visually dazzling tour of 5,000 years of Chinese history and culture… carefully designed, richly costumed pieces – everything from colorful handkerchief dances, Imperial-style dances in high platform shoes, drum dances, folk dances… a heady blend of the ancient and modern, of traditional Chinese instruments and their Western counterparts, and contemporary experiences… a grand cavalcade of Chinese cultural scenes.”
– San Francisco Chronicle
“An extravagantly beautiful production… Lavish production numbers, colorful sets, dazzling costumes, brilliant choreography, and booming Tang dynasty drums.”
– BroadwayWorld.com
“A vivid, authentic portrait of Chinese arts… revels in long-standing myths and legends through extraordinary costumes and vigorous physicality designed to appeal to diverse audiences.”
– Denver Post
“The Spectacular was a spectacle from its very first moment… an array of diverse and delightful dances… eye-pleasing formations, flowing arms, small, scampering steps and serene, seemingly divinely inspired faces… each and every Spectacular costume was just that, incorporating a brightly colored, beautiful range of fabrics as well as intricate headpieces… left its audience with the tranquil sensation of having witnessed something both enlightening and resplendent.”
– ExploreDance
“Mission accomplished! It was a tantalizing and fascinating evening that made me want to stay and see more. In a word, I was simply captivated… colorful and lively theatrical presentation… motion pictures and drums and elegant dance and singing that gave a glimpse of a culture and its history that was at times hypnotic in its presentation, sensual in its fluid movements, and inspirational in its theme… marvelous precision dragon dances, stunning [dance] sequences comprised of silken young girls in colorful outfits who were gifted with graceful movement, and flawless musical performances… simply astounding to watch and a pleasure to the ear.”
– OperaOnline
“Indisputably a spectacle… The women, meanwhile, make for a beautiful and haunting ensemble. They are as delicate as they are quick, and their skills include a nimble mastery of traditional talents, such as the classic fan dance… Some of the most jaw-dropping moments came from the thunderous intensity of a solo pianist named Yan Li.”
– Chicago Tribune
“Boasts an array of colors as well as gracious and harmonious dance movements, allowing local audiences to see a kind of Chinese art that cannot be found elsewhere.”
– Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ)
“It was spectacular—with gorgeous multi-colored costumes, athletic dancers, lovely traditional Chinese music and fantastic singers… Being the son of a Cantor, I have always had a soft spot in my heart for tenors, and hearing Chinese legendary tenor Guimin Guan… was the highlight of the evening for me. His voice is similar to the voice of the great Italian tenor Benjamino Gigli, with a glorious sweet upper range-and crystal clear diction, sung with great emotion.”
– DC Theatre Scene
“This cross-cultural, bilingual extravaganza not only features singing and dancing with beautiful costumes and superb talent, but it also has dragons, heavenly maidens, bold warriors, and drums… Even when the large-scale dance numbers left the stage to make way for solo artists, the size of their stage artistry was ample for the space… These troupes and performers, some from Canada, some from China, and even Germany, are all tightly choreographed and smartly professional… An overwhelming theme of the show is a tremendous sense of spirit, a feeling of joy.”
– San Francisco Bay Times
“An extravagantly beautiful production… Presented by Shen Yun Performing Arts… whose lavish production numbers, colorful sets, dazzling costumes, brilliant choreography, and booming Tang dynasty drums… reveal the fascinating lifestyle and legendary elegance of the traditional China of yesterday coupled with the contemporary influence of today’s Western world… dozens of dancers in stunning hand-designed costumes.”
– BroadwayWorld.com
“Booming drums and graceful dance.”
– The Philadelphia Inquirer
In the meantime, here’s a quick glimpse of them in action:
