SAN DIEGO—China’s five-millennia-old cultural traditions were welcomed at the San Diego Civic Theatre by the spectators who thrilled to the sight and sound of Shen Yun Performing Arts’ showcase.

Among the appreciative crowd on opening night, July 13, was Michael Chaffin, a music teacher who plays trombone. He was inspired by what he saw.

“You don't get to see something that grand, that big, with the live orchestra and the dance company altogether. It was really nice, definitely very artistic and very moving. It was emotional; you could feel the emotion.”

Expounding, Mr. Chaffin said: “The orchestra was great. It was really nice to see the variety of instruments and to see the traditional Chinese instruments, because I had learned about them in music history, especially the erhu—beautiful to see it played live.”

The erhu is an ancient Chinese two-stringed instrument that emits a haunting and captivating tone.

“We learned about traditional Chinese instruments, that was one of the instruments. It was so much better live, than listening to a recording. You can't even compare. It was great.”

He enjoyed the digitally animated backdrop scenes and how they interacted with the orchestral blend of Eastern and Western composition integrated with a performance at hand by gorgeously costumed dancers.

“I really liked the combination of the visuals with the music. It was well put together. You could tell what the music went with, what was going on.”

A musician at heart, Mr. Chaffin said" “It definitely makes me want to go take a second look at Chinese traditional instruments. It would be fun to sit down and really get a chance to one on one with the erhu.”

Mr. Chaffin was accompanied to the show by Danielle O’Neal who plays trombone as well.
'The good times win out'

Like her companion, she too loved the dancing, the costumes, and the music, and the message conveyed by Shen Yun.

“You can tell the message is there and that's very nice. I felt that emotional connection … you can tell there's good times and bad times, but through all of it in the end, the good times win out and you just have to keep doing what you do.

“Dance through it. Dance away. Keep dancing, keep walking, one foot in front of the other. In the end if you're good, it'll work out. You just got to do the right thing.”

'Erhu virtuoso incredibly beautiful'

Mr. and Mrs. Marvin Peterson, both semi-retired teachers who were visiting San Diego from Mexico City, saw the New York-based Shen Yun the following evening, on Wednesday, July 14.

“To me, the most beautiful thing was this lady playing the erhu. This was incredibly beautiful. ... I would like to see this repeated ten times.

“This small instrument gives such a tremendous range of sound, beauty, and this lady was so talented. From the very high to the very low, what she can bring out of that is just fantastic.”

Mr. Peterson, who has a Ph.D. in education, used to teach in Stanford before moving to Mexico. The couple currently live in Mexico City where they run four private Montessori bilingual schools.

‘The best gift ever’

Diana Corona was also taking in the show, a birthday present from her daughter. She works at a military base–marine corp—at Camp Pendleton.

"The show is wonderful. Beautiful storyline. I really enjoyed it. It was the best gift ever," she said.

“The dancing was just beautiful–lots of colors. A lot of art. A lot of storylines, and I really enjoyed that. The colors were awesome. Just beautiful colors. It was really great to come and enjoy the show, and I would love to come back next year."

'Blessed to see this show'

Soraya Mendoza, a wellness therapist, said she was “grateful to be able to see the beautiful talent."

“My mom is a dancer herself from my country, Mexico, and it’s just so beautiful to see the different expressions of talent that every country has to offer. So, I’m very blessed to be at this show. Beautiful!”

Story-based dances are an integral part of Shen Yun taken from Chinese legends, folk traditions and modern day stories of great courage.

“I love every single choreography ... the Handkerchiefs was excellent. I loved the Fairies of the Clouds.

"I’m looking forward to the next year. Very, very pretty.”

With reporting by SOH Radio Network.

Shen Yun Performing Arts will next perform in Sacramento 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/39297/