SAN FRANCISCO—Shen Yun Performing Arts shared 5,000 years of Chinese heritage at the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House during the first week of 2025, ringing in the new year.
Lidia Pringle, author and journalist, expressed her appreciation of Shen Yun.
“The technology, the beautiful sets, the costumes, the athletic ability, the creativity, the feeling, and the emotions that are portrayed in this spectacular production really, for me, are a unique experience,” she said.“One that I will remember for a very long time.”
Robert Odin, privacy engineer at Roblox, described what he and his wife felt about the performance.
“We’ve really enjoyed the ethnic, cultural elements of it, as well as elements of sync and what my wife described a little bit earlier as lightness,” he said. “Instead of like a powerful throw, it seems to float.”
Shen Yun has performed in 36 countries and over 200 cities for millions of people worldwide. The nonprofit’s primary art form is classical Chinese dance, which has thousands of years of history. The name Shen Yun means “the beauty of divine beings dancing.”
Poetry slam artist Charlie Scott said the acrobatics performed by the dancers were “phenomenal and top tier.”
“It is the upper echelon of anything that I’ve almost ever seen in my lifetime, and I feel blessed to be here right now with you to experience this as a whole encompassing thing of artistry,” he said.
Karen Aiken, board member at the Sausalito Sister Cities, said Shen Yun’s combination of East and West in music and art and the traditional values of China was “important for us to hear today.”
“It is a people-to-people diplomacy for you to share your culture with us in such a personal and awesome way,” she said.
‘Chains of Communism’
The New York company’s goal is to revive genuine traditional culture. It also portrays current persecution of faith in China. Shen Yun is also not allowed to be performed there.
“It’s very near and dear to my heart because I was born in communist Poland, so the theme of freedom versus the tightness and the reigns and the chains of communism ring very loud for me,” said Ms. Pringle.
Ms. Aiken said “I feel that it’s quite a shame that a country and a people aren’t allowed to have their own history.”
Through classical music, dance, and traditional Bel Canto singing, Ms. Pringle appreciates the experience, saying the opera singer touched her heart.
“Her message that we can all go to heaven if we follow the right path and that atheism is the greatest deceit—really resounds,” she said. “I think everyone on Earth should see this show.”
NTD News, San Francisco, California
Reporting by David Lam.
NTD News is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts and has covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
