Audience members applauded Shen Yun performers for their technique, artistry, and dedication during four performances at the William Saroyan Theatre in Fresno.
“Magical. Magical, and if you ever doubted dancing could speak to your heart, it really can. So much was said through dancing, which is really beautiful,” said Guillermo Moreno, a radio host.
“Exceeded my expectations. It was beautiful. It was just lovely,” said Jan Williams, a voice actor. “It brought me to tears several times. I laughed, cried, it was really a wonderful experience.”
“There’s a progression of the culture throughout the last 5,000 years. But there are some things that tie each element together from the past to the present,” said Serafin Quintanar, general manager at Central California Truck & Trailer Sales.
“You saw dance, music. To me, the supreme instrument, which is the vocal, the human voice,” said Sanjay Srivatsa, medical director at Heart, Artery, and Vein Center of Fresno.
One of Shen Yun’s characteristics is reviving the Bel Canto technique, a traditional way of singing that originated in Italy.
“Just very filled, very warm, good, positive sensations, from being a part of this show and watching the dance and the singing and all the costumes that were a part of it,” said Richard Matoian, executive director at American Pistachio Growers.
“What impressed me the most was their ability to just say so much through movement and through beautiful movement, I mean it was effortless,” said Moreno. “It touches you. It really does. Every American needs to see it.”
Traditional classical Chinese dance is known for its wide variety of expressions to convey meaning. Shen Yun dancers present it in its purest form, preserving its original aesthetic grace.
“I just loved the way the dancers used their bodies to create this entire world that you’re just in briefly and it was wonderful. They’re wonderful actors as well as wonderful dancers,” said Williams.
“The dancers were so exquisite, and able to really capture spirituality and pass it on to the audience. It was something really special,” said Moreno.
Traditional Chinese culture was divinely inspired. But much of that was destroyed after the communist party took power in China. Shen Yun’s mission is to revive that lost heritage.
“So if you have thousands upon thousands of years of tradition which promote hope, and it’s destroyed by an ideology that doesn’t accept the independence of thought or the belief in a religion or a system of ideals, then what do you have?” said Srivatsa.
“Be kind to others and don’t give up,” said Quintanar. “Even if it takes a day or a week or a month or 5,000 years, don’t give up and keep that positivity going.”
