The facility itself is very nice. However, I take issue with the Administration of the Cobb Energy Centre for "misleading" the public with regard to the Shen Yun performance hosted there this past weekend.

The show was billed as having "masterful choreography", "spectacular visuals", and "groundbreaking music". In reality, the choreography was, with rare exception, trite and repetitive-- and all of it driven by out-of-tune musical accompaniment. Truly, their description makes hyperbole look like understatement.

Unfortunately, it gets worse. While the substance of the performance was undeniably mediocre, the raison d'être of the show was to promote the ideology of the Falun Gong, a group officially identified as a cult in China. It is nothing more than a propaganda machine.

(After the fact, I found a couple of reviews which should confirm this is not one man's humble opinion. Citysearch policy precludes me from including the links, so you'll have to Google the 25 February 2008 review in the Telegraph in the U.K. and the 13 January 2010 review in the Vancouver Sun to verify.)

I fault the Cobb Energy Centre for not candidly stating the intent of the program, and give them the lowest rating for that reason. Whether it be due to negligence because of a "caveat emptor" stance, or outright deception, it is irresponsible. It will have to be a "must see" presentation for me to ever set foot in that facility again.

 

(Citysearch.com, January 20, 2010)

Original text from: http://atlanta.citysearch.com/profile/45661756/atlanta_ga/cobb_energy_performing_arts_centre.html#done