Shen Yun Performing Arts brought Classical Chinese dance to Nashville, Tennessee, Detroit, Michigan, and Davenport, Iowa to close out February—showcasing the company’s all-new program for the 2024 season.
“It’s very, very, very good. It’s excellent and the dancers don’t miss a beat with the music,” said Mary Krause, an attorney.
“You could tell the choreography is unbelievable. … Through their interpretive dancing, their movements, how the traditional Chinese ways are expressed,” said Glen Krause, an attorney at Brewer Krause Brooks Chastain & Meisner.
“Their steps are so precise. And the uniformity when they’re dancing together, it’s just amazing, how their movements are just all one,” said Laurie Sewell, the treasurer for non-profit organization, Art Round Tennessee.
Amongst the audience was award-winning fashion designer, Manuel Cuevas, who is known for the clothing he created for distinguished rock and roll and country music artists. He and his wife attended the show claiming the performances to be “a grace that is so gigantic.”
“A grace that is so gigantic. And I’ll tell you something, I could never do in my life. Totally I admire that beautiful dancing, beautiful dancing and I am very captivated by the imagery of all the dancers,” he said.
The company’s mission is to revive 5,000 years of Chinese culture and values from before communism.
“It’s such a rich culture, and it’s such a shame what has taken place as a result of communism. So it’s good to see that somebody’s keeping that alive and show the rest of the world what China’s really about,” said Carl Seitz, the executive pastor at Shelby Bible Church.
“To realize this is coming from different regions, and this is someone’s history, it was a fantastic way to spend an evening. The emotions in the audience you could feel as the stories moved along. … The emotion, the connection of the traditional values resonates on so many different levels for everybody,” said Bob Christopher, the director of the security department at St. Ambrose University.
Theatergoers took note of the message in Shen Yun’s performance—showcasing traditional Chinese beliefs and spirituality rooted in ancient culture.
“And so I saw a lot of parallels with that hope that we have as a result of faith, that communism is trying to push out. And without a hope for the future, you don’t have any power for the present. … And so having faith in something beyond ourselves is so important,” said Mr. Seitz.
“We lived in a pre-existence before we came to this Earth. We had a loving Creator, Father in Heaven. And as we have opportunities to do good here in life, then that returns to us. And I think that was amply shown in this production,” said Quentin Maxwell, the project chief for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
Shen Yun will next perform in Boise, Idaho, on March 2 and 3.
NTD News, New York
