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The Chinese Flagship’s Banzhang team leaders and other flagship students attended the Shen Yun dance performance at Eugene’s HULT performing arts center this past Tuesday, March 31st.  “Before the show, we all went to a Chinese restaurant, used Chinese to order plates of delicious food, then conducted our weekly meeting. This dinner provided the students with a more personalized opportunity to get to know the program director, Li-Hsien and GTF, Shannon East,” Banzhang member, Kat Perry commented.  Other Chinese Flagship students also talked about their experience, “Shen Yun combined Chinese classical art and culture. The performers demonstrated the diverse cultures of the ethnic minorities in China. They also included many traditional Chinese stories like, Journey to the West, The Happy Monk and others,” Kyle Armstrong said. “Not only did Shen Yun exceed my expectations, the program added a bilingual dimension, something I have never seen before. This bilingual aspect, added to the culture presented, creating a language learning opportunity. Shen Yun incorporated the Chinese language in multiple ways, such as having two MCs, one who spoke English and another who repeated what was said in Mandarin, Chinese. Overall, Shen Yun gave me an opportunity to practice my language outside of class as well as dive into an aspect of Chinese culture not often seen,” Brydon Qualls-Thomas, Banzhang team leader said.

“As a Chinese Flagship Student in the content level courses, I thought this show was not only interesting because of the beautiful dances and music, but also because of its cultural and political references. Last term, the content course was on Chinese Folklore. We studied a variety of different minority food, culture, stories and clothing. Throughout the show, I enjoyed hearing the MC introduce the next act and its history in Chinese as it provided me with another chance to practice my listening skills. I also enjoyed connecting the show’s sets and references with my past Chinese classes,” Banzhang leader Kat Perry said.  “The music was a combination of classical with ancient Chinese instruments, making it a great accompaniment to the show,” Flagship student Ava Jamerson noted. “Rarely will I ever get to see a show that showcases so much Chinese culture through such skilled artists like those of Shen Yun,” Alison Roden commented. “I was very impressed by what Shen Yun had to offer, from the colorful attire, the graceful dances, and the live orchestra.  I can’t wait to go again next year,” Banzhang member Shawna Sullivan said.