In describing her experience seeing the classical Chinese dance and music performance at the Gold Coast Arts Centre on March 15, Ms. Kinnane said the traditional costumes donned by dancers on stage stood out.
“It’s the expansion of the rainbow, isn’t it?” she said.
“And I think one of the things I’ve always found about Chinese culture is the depth of colour is very alluring, like they have the deepest of colours. And that’s more meaningful than the normal spectrum of what we see.”
Ms. Kinnane has spent 15 years producing films, television programs, and commercials. Previously, she worked in marketing and was a former Miss Queensland.
Being a fan of Asian cinema, Ms. Kinnane regularly indulged in old Hong Kong martial arts movies, noting the unique colour aesthetic of pre-communist Chinese traditional art.
Shen Yun dancers perform on stage during a show. Courtesy of Shen Yun
“I was always engaged by the colour, and the expression and use of colour in creating the world in which the story is told. I think it’s the depth of colour that just draws you in, and has a very deep effect,” she said.
The executive producer said seeing Shen Yun was like witnessing the genesis of so many modern art forms—ballet, gymnastics, and acrobatics—that descended from classical Chinese dance.
“I’m an Australian born in Australia. We’ve been around for 250 years, and we’re looking at a culture [represented by Shen Yun] that’s been around for 5,000 years.
“Some of the appeal is the kind of ‘primitiveness’ and the ’getting back to basics’ and seeing the foundation.
“I grew up doing ballet, and when you look at the dance and the choreography [of Shen Yun], it’s an extrapolation of what we’re seeing tonight, which has grown into what we see as ballet today—we’re witnessing where it started.”
This incidentally resonates with the core mission of Shen Yun—to revive 5,000 years of culture, civilisation, and identity that was lost under communist and radical-leftist rule.
“I think there are a lot more people waking up to what tradition means, and hopefully, they’ll recognize that and hang on to it with both hands.”
Reporting by Daniel Y. Teng.
