Dance Studio Owner Brought Her Students to Learn From Shen Yun, Left Inspired

Shen Yun’s performance has become an inspiration for many artists. Rita Ogden, the owner, director, and instructor at Ovations Dance Studio, brought 54 members of her dance team to Shen Yun and hoped to learn from the performance. "They're all here today, we wanted to pick a show where we can all come together and see the importance of technique and storytelling and working together as a team, and the show seemed to be like everything in one package for us," she said. Ogden has been involved in theatre, print, TV, and films. She appeared in movies such as My Sassy Girl and choreographed for the Tomorrowland stage in Walt Disney World. She said, she was not only impressed with the spirit of Shen Yun’s dancers, but every aspect of the performance attracted her. "Absolutely amazing. You can tell that there's tons of hard work put into it. And the emphasis on technique and just the precision of all of it. Everyone working together as a group knowing their mark, knowing their spaces. It's just beautiful, beautiful to see," she added. "And I think it's a really strong message to my students too, just to see how all that comes together, and how all that effort pays off." Inner Expression For thousands of years, classical Chinese dance embodied traditional values, and its movements were richly expressive. Ogden was impressed with the dancers’ deep expressiveness in telling the stories. "From not knowing any of the backgrounds, and then coming today. Just knowing the importance of the storytelling, besides the technique and everything. Just the storytelling and the history and culture behind it. It made me want to know more about that art form," and added. "So between the facial expressions, and the body lines, and the formations, and the costuming, and the lighting, and the backdrops, I think that the story’s really being told, a hundred percent. Down to the sparkle in the eyes, in the expressions." "And just the comedy behind it too is brilliant. There’s fun moments and serious moments, it's a very wide range of storytelling and I think the kids are enjoying it," she added. Shen Yun aims to revive China’s divinely inspired culture, focusing on elements such as benevolence, justice, propriety, wisdom, and respect for the heavens. "I think it's very evident in the show that there's a lot of spirituality put into it, and the whole message behind it. Doing good and living that as your culture no matter what your belief is. And I think it beautifully portrays that message in the show." NTD News, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania