United States: Members Of Seattle's Arts Community Enthusiastically Praise Shen Yun Performing Arts: "It's going to touch lives everywhere"

Karolyn Grimes, who played the role of Zuzu in the movie, "It's a Wonderful Life," said she was thrilled to see Shen Yun Performing Arts 2009 Spring Tour which opened at Seattle's Paramount Theatre on Friday, May 22nd. Ms. Grimes has appeared in many movies, and worked with Hollywood's film legends.

Karolyn Grimes attended the Shen Yun Performing Arts show

"I think it's stunning," she enthused. "It's absolutely magnificent! The creative talent, the colours of the costumes, the dancing. It's classical dance and I'm learning so much about the culture and the traditions of the Chinese people. How wonderful is that?"

"This [show] is about touching lives all over our country, and I'm sure it's going to travel world wide. So it's going to touch lives everywhere." she said.

Ms. Grimes enjoyed tenor Guan Guimin's rendition of "Let Me Not Regret." "He was magnificent! And his song, the words were so wonderful because he was talking about bias and the things that our world is kind of dealing with right now. I was really impressed with his beautiful voice, I thought it was wonderful."

"But I also loved the costumes," she continued. "I mean where do you start? The costumes, the dancing, every little movement that their fingers make. It all has a message. It's just remarkable. I was so impressed."

Shen Yun is a New York-based performance company founded by leading Chinese artists who have been reviving China's traditional culture and presenting it to audiences around the world through Chinese classical dance and music.

Ms. Grimes said she saw a "message of hope" in the show. "I know that the Chinese people have been oppressed. I've been in China, but the real beauty of China, I think, is in the hearts of the people... I think [the show] touches lives and I think that's definitely giving everyone hope because we are all coming together and it's all about unity. This is something we'd like to see happen in China, because I think they need hope."

She concluded by saying that Shen Yun "opened my heart, and I'm just incredulous.... It has really been a wonderful opportunity for me to be able to share this with the Chinese people, and I just feel thrilled that I'm a part of this tonight. They've touched my life."

Professional Singer: "I Was In Awe Every Time They Sang"

Mr. and Mrs. de Regalado, both professional singers, joined the enthusiastic audience on Friday, May 22nd, and said the show was "wonderful" and "breathtaking." Mrs. de Regalado, a soprano, said, "It was exquisite. We loved it."

Mr. de Regalado, a tenor himself, said of tenor Tian Ge, "His voice is very textured; it is very beautiful in terms of sing type." He also commented that "The costumes were just vivid and wonderful."

Mrs. de Regalado added, "The sopranos were great, all of their songs were just wonderful, I was in awe every time they sang."

Even though the songs were in Chinese the couple had no trouble understanding them. Mrs. de Regalado said, "It was easy to follow, and the way they were singing it, and their expressions on their faces pretty much conveyed ... the English translation of the song."

Mr. de Regalado agreed, "Exactly - you didn't even have to know what the words mean to know what the song was about. It was very beautiful, very moving."

Reflecting on the performance, "Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution," which touches upon the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in present-day China, Mr. de Regalado said, "I was pretty shocked about it, I didn't realise ... that there were still people being persecuted trying to practise their religion. That was completely brand new to me."

The couple were pleased to have seen the world-renowned New York-based company. Mr. de Ragalado said, "It was very new, a lot of knowledge. This is definitely a presentation worth seeing. I'm glad that we came."

Musician: "The Emotion, the Music Stirs Up Inside of You!"

Musician and drummer, Mr. Harris, was among the delighted audience on Friday evening May 22nd, captivated by the internationally acclaimed Shen Yun Performing Arts Spring Tour 2009.

Musician and drummer Mr. Harris

New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts portrays traditional Chinese culture through music and classical Chinese dance, depicting myths, legends and stories from ancient China through to today.

Mr. Harris found the show, "...very, very enjoyable, very captivating. It's hard to take your eyes off of the performers, and the costumes are absolutely amazing."

Because he is a passionate musician as well as a drummer, Mr. Harris enjoyed the drum performances in the show, but also enjoyed the many "really exciting" dances such as the "Mongolian Chopsticks" dance, which he said was "really great."

Mr. Harris expressed his amazement, saying the world renowned show was "really great to watch" and added, "Just the dynamics of the music, the emotion that the music stirs up inside of you, it's very passionate. It's easy to draw you into the dance, and the music is really expressive of that, it's great!

He commented on the unique blend of classical Western and Chinese instruments which makes up Shen Yun's orchestra. "All the different instruments, and the classic, the Chinese instruments, it's just wonderful! We don't get enough of that. It's a very cultural experience."

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