SAN DIEGO—Shen Yun Performing Arts has dazzled audience members for the second night at the San Diego Civic Theatre as it progresses on the West Coast portion of its 2010 summer tour. The warm audience responded enthusiastically with a standing ovation during the curtain call.

Leon Matker, general director of Lyric Opera San Diego, was in attendance. Mr. Matker has had an extensive and accomplished career in theater, dance, and singing. His career has spanned two continents and included more than three hundred productions.

He has worked with such companies as Lyric Opera of Chicago, Oak Park Civic Opera, DuPage Opera Theater, Lincoln Opera, San Diego Opera, The Goodman Theater, California Music Theater, Chamber Opera of Chicago, San Diego Symphony, La Jolla Symphony and San Diego Civic Light Opera. In addition, he was a founder of Chicago Opera Theater, where he sang in more than a dozen productions.

Mr. Matker expressed his satisfaction with the show. "Oh, it’s very enjoyable. This is the second time I’ve seen it and it’s always a pleasure to see so much talent on the stage, and all these wonderful young dancers, and with just terrific technical skills," he said.

Shen Yun Performing Arts is a New York-based music and dance company with the mission of reviving traditional Chinese culture by drawing on its rich 5,000-year history. The male and female dancers train countless hours year-round to perfect the movements, bearing, postures, and techniques required for classical Chinese dance.

The dances range from featuring China's ancient ethnic groups to contemporary pieces of present-day issues.

Mr. Matker said, "I enjoy the ones that are very specific folk pieces, the Mongolian one with the sticks (Chopstick Zest), I think is very interesting. This last one with the girls with very long sleeves (Tibetan Dance of Praise) and all of that.

"I know having been trained as a dancer when I was very, very young, that it’s very difficult to do, to work those costumes and everyone together doing that is very ... it shows a great deal of skill and training and it’s very beautiful to look at."

Shen Yun also includes a live orchestra, which offers a unique blend of classical Western and traditional Chinese instruments, that accompanies the dancers.

"Oh, I think it is very cleverly done," Mr. Matker said of the entire production. "The orchestra is marvelous. Whoever the conductor is just does a great job, combining both the traditional Chinese instruments with the Western style orchestration.

"There is a lot of skill that goes into that and I think she holds the production together extremely, extremely well, and I think, all of these very large numbers are, it’s wonderful to see, it’s a big spectacle."

In addition to the dancer and live orchestra, Shen Yun also features solo, bel canto performances.

"They are very well trained singers," Mr. Matker said. "I think they were different singers the last time I saw the show, but they are very well-[trained]. I don’t know if they were trained in the United States or China, wherever, but they know what they are doing, they are nice big voices, they are making good sounds."

While the theme of the production is related to classical Chinese culture, modern technology plays a role. Large, digital, animated backdrops of colorful Chinese landscapes and heavenly realms provide stunning imagery for the audience. Mr. Matker said the projections "work quite well" and is "very effective."

"It’s a great spectacle," he added. "I think it’s a good introduction in terms of the dance styles and gives also a very good overview of different areas of the country.

“It’s not just concentrated on one specific region or its folktales. It gives you, even just in the first part, you’ve kind of traveled all through the country from Mongolia to Tibet to the south—to the Miao in the south.

"I think it’s a wonderful introduction to a culture that we in the United States are not all that familiar with."

With reporting by Jim Li.

Shen Yun Performing Arts will be at the San Diego Civic Theatre through Thursday, July 15, and then travel to Sacramento for performances on July 17 and 18. For more information visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts.

Original article: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/39240/