Friday, February 25, 2011

Mulan Joins The Battle

While the pages of Chinese history are filled with tales of exemplary women, perhaps non so managed to fulfill the twin Confucian duties of loyalty to one's parents and service to one's country as the heroine Mulan.

Mulan's aging father finds himself torn: he wishes not to defy the Emperor's decree to defend the country, now beset by invaders, yet at his age he cannot go to the battlefield. Seeing this, Mulan entreats her father to allow her to join the army in his place. Her noble request granted, she disguises herself as a man and spends the ensuing ten-plus years in the military, leading the troops to victory.

When, in the final scene, the Emperor comes to commend this brave solider for meritorious service, he is in for a big surprise.

It is so amazing to watch how Shen Yun presents such a long story on the stage with dancing and music just within a few minutes.  Since we are already familiar with Mulan from the Disney movie, it is quite interesting to see the same legend told from Shen Yun's colorful and artistic dancing.  While Disney's story is very fun, Shen Yun's Mulan is truly inspirational.

No comments:

Post a Comment