Shen Yun At CSUN

So I finally saw Shen Yun at the Center for the Performing Arts at CSUN.  I have planned on seeing it ever since I saw the advertisement in TV.  And since it was brought back to Northridge, I thought I should see it while it is so convenient for me.

I pretty much expected beautiful Chinese dancing in beautiful costumes.  What I was not expecting was the way the show was set up.  It was divided into several vignettes with the emcee coming out to introduce the number each time.  There were two emcees.  One spoke mandarin Chinese while the other translated it to English.  Some numbers had stories while others were just dances of a particular period and its people. 

I especially liked the "Han Dynasty Sleeves", The Hmong Ethnic Dance- In the Mountains", "Elegance in the Middle Kingdom", " Lofty Spirits on the Grasslands", "Soaring Handkerchiefs" and "Ladies of the Qing Dynasty" dance numbers.  The dancing were colorful, playful and a novelty to watch.

There were some numbers that I thought were just plain boring.  I did not like the "Heaven Awaits" baritone number, the "Ancient Melody" ehru number and the "Coming to Pass" soprano number. 

Then there was a number that I thought was just political.  "Unprecedented Crime" was a political dance story that reflected events in China. I do not care!

It was said that Shen Yun do update their programs periodically.  So when it comes back for another tour in So Cal, it will be a new program.  I probably will not watch it again even with the new program.  Once is enough for this show.