HOUSTON—A Shen Yun Performing Arts production typically includes more than a dozen vignettes, including several stories from China’s 5,000 years of civilization.
Audience members at the Jones Hall for the Performing Arts in Houston on Dec. 28 described stories of humor, faith, a battle between good and evil, and something greater than us all.
“There were a lot of stories,” said Julie Villanueva, an analyst for an oil and gas company, who saw the performance with her family.
“Everything was tied into a greater positive attitude and always being very proactive, and just drawing all that great vibes, and doing what’s right also,” she said. “I saw that where evil and good battle each other … good always prevails. The good always prevails.”
New York-based Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance company, with a mission to revive and share with audiences China before communism.
The ancient Chinese believed their culture was divinely inspired, a gift from heaven, and the spirituality of the culture was evident to the audience.
Ms. Villanueva said she was surprised to see it initially because most productions shy away from spirituality because people all have different faiths. But the spirituality she saw in Shen Yun was something universal, she said.
“They’re saying to believe in something good, and to be good, to do good. You know, even though all odds are against you, just keep going for what is good and what you believe in,” Ms. Villanueva said. “Eventually, some power will come and assist, and you’ve got to believe in that, that it will, in the end, work out for the best.”
Rodney Anthon, NASA Gulfstream team lead, similarly found the references to the divine in the ancient Chinese stories to be universal.
“I learned through the message of being spiritual and that you can overcome any obstacles in your way, as long as you have faith and belief,” he said.
He commended the dancers for their vivid storytelling.
“They brought everything out, and you could feel their actions brought in emotion, and you could feel that inside of you,” he said.
Mr. Anthon saw the matinee performance with his wife, Lasonya Runnels, who found the performance beautiful.
“I love the performance. I love the graphics of it. I love the message that it gave—the spiritual message. Everything was beautiful,” she said.
Reporting by Yeawen Hung and Sonia Wu.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
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