A Magical Night of Dance and Culture: Then and Now

Tomorrow evening, Rena and I are going to the evening performance of Shen Yun. Here is the trailer:

Last year, I ended up getting an email inviting me to check out the performance. A similar trailer captivated me, and I was hooked. I had recently discovered through a round of list-making that dance was something I missed from my past, and this was the prefect opportunity to reconnect. I had no idea just how deeply I would connect: I got caught up in the festive surroundings of the performing arts center, in the performance itself, and in the fun of chatting with a few of the musicians afterwards at a near-by coffee shop.

Although I never posted after the performance last year, I wrote some notes. I wrote about how the first half of the show immersed me in color, props, music, and the seemingly impossible movement that the human body is capable of. Every time the curtain opened, I was captivated by the movement of form and color. The costume designers, the choreographers, and the dancers brought together color, light, and movement to create moments that were nothing less than magical.

In the second act, something went deeper and I began to see the connection between what I was seeing on stage and what can happen in quilting and other visual art. I was reconnected with the part of me that loves colors, patterns, and textures, even though I’m not always sure how to put combine them to match my inner visions. But I felt my mind totally stimulated by a whirlwind of possibility. I like to think that maybe I’m becoming a little more confident about blending these elements into the ideas I have for my quilting and how to make visual movement possible through such combinations.

I knew from the first moments of last year’s performance that I would go again this year. I kept an eye out for the posting of the schedule. And now it’s here. Less than 24 hours from now, I’ll be experiencing that magic again. I wouldn’t be surprised if this time, you might get to read about some of the details. In the meantime, I’ll have sweet dreams of the wonders that await me tomorrow evening.

Anticipation: The Shen Yun Performing Arts World Tour

(Photo credit: 精彩绝伦的表演)

Reviving 5000 Years of Civilization

I’m so thrilled to be going to see this performance tonight. On the Shen Yun Performing Arts World Tour, there are two stops in Taiwan, and one of those locations is only a 30 minute taxi ride from my apartment. OK, maybe it will take longer in rush hour, but I don’t care! I haven’t been to a live cultural performance in several years, and never in Taiwan.

A chance email arrived all in Chinese, with a note to click the above link if I didn’t speak Chinese. I’m so glad I did. Take a look at this:

However, I almost lost out. I only waited two days, but when I went to buy tickets online, the night I wanted was sold out. Then when I found just a few seats for tonight, it turned out I couldn’t buy the tickets online anymore. And the instructions for those of us who are pokey about following through were only in Chinese. Luckily, it turned out that we could buy the tickets at the convenience store. So off we went, and I was able to secure the tickets. Whew!

So tonight’s the night, and even though I have a ton of work to do, taking a break is definitely the right thing to do. I’ll explain more about that when I report back on this event.

If you want to learn more, the website has an incredible array of information about all things Shen Yun, including absolutely stunning pictures of some of the costumes.

I hope everyone has a great weekend, even if doesn’t include an awesome outing.

(Photo credit: 精彩绝伦的表演)