WORCESTER, Mass.—A massive storm bellowed through much of the Eastern United States, but missed Boston. Worcester, in Massachusetts, is located right outside of Boston, hosting Shen Yun Performing Arts on Sunday, Feb. 7, at the Hanover Theater for the Performing Arts.

Ms. Joning and Ms. Hernandez, both dancers, were impressed with what they saw on stage.

"It's beautiful, truly beautiful," said Ms. Joning.

"It's so interesting to see the mix between the classical dance and the Chinese culture on top of it," she said. "Just their whole choreography, using the whole stage, the colors, the movement, the staging of it, never-mind the actual, unbelievable talent."

Shen Yun uses classical Chinese dance as a medium to express the depth of the Chinese culture. This form of dance is thousands of years old.

Ms. Joning was impressed with the dexterity of the dancers in the piece, Mongolian Hospitality, where, according to the program, ordinary plates turn extraordinarily musical with the aid of ornamental rings, and dancers shimmer in dazzling hues of orange and gold, and express the affectionate spirit of the Mongolian people with traditional movements such as the Mongolian shoulder shake.

"There was one point where this girl was literally spinning around, and first of all, the rest of them were down on their knees completely flat back and I dare anybody to do that alone," she said. "Then this woman just started spinning and then she went around the whole semi-circle, came back to the middle, kept spinning, then everybody else decided they would join her in spinning."

She added, "She must have done 30-40 spins, and to have that kind of control, to be able to spin and stay in one place is amazing—to see their flexibility and their extension, and their timing."

Admiring not just the female dancers, but also the male dancers, she said, "They all did a straddle-jump ... exact—perfect, picture-perfect, picture-perfect timing."

She added, "That's the type of thing that you can only get in a company and you work together for years and you just know each other as well as the music."

Shen Yun's performers train extensively in their craft, which requires much discipline. Classical Chinese dance is rich in its variety but very difficult to master. Furthermore, the dancers perform in unison in coordination with a live orchestra.

Continuing on the same subject, she said, "I was thinking also of the coins, the silver pieces, and the fact that, first of all, just wearing all that heavy silver and being able to keep your head upright, but the fact that you could hear all of their clinks? That's not easy."

Ms. Joning was excited and continued talking about the things that impressed her: "Beautiful, beautiful—everything and every piece."

Ms. Hernandez agreed and said, "I just think it's great and this is my first time seeing this show and the dancing, the movements."

Ms. Hernandez was impressed with the cultural values and traditions presented in the performance. "It's beautiful and it really touches you, it touches you inside," she said. "That's what I'm getting from this whole experience."

Ms. Joning was touched by the performance Nothing Can Block the Divine Path, which depicts Falun Dafa practitioners standing up for their beliefs in China even under harsh persecution. Falun Dafa is a form of traditional meditation.

"Thinking of that Falun Dafa act, and I'm watching this unbelievable dancing, unbelievable skill and then the emotion that's being conveyed on top of that," said Ms. Joning. "That was a piece I think really touched my soul, really touched my heart, and I just love that little girl."

The little girl was on the mind of Ms. Hernandez when she said, "I know, she was beautiful."

Continuing the thought, Ms. Joning concluded, "And she has got incredible poise and talent and for her to be able to act out that drama."

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. For more information, please visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org

Original article: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/29322/