The Shen Yun Performing Arts North America Company presented two performances at the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Theater in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Feb. 25 and Feb. 26.
“It was uplifting, it was compelling, it was so beautiful. I feel at peace when I leave,” said Teresa Harding, Presidential Diamond at Dōterra Essential Oils.
Teresa Harding saw a Shen Yun performance with her husband in Salt Lake City. Founded in 2006 in New York, the company has expanded to seven equally large companies.
“The most impressive thing was the choreography and the synchronicity, the movements all together,” said Roger Harding, owner of Roger K. Harding, DDS. “You can tell that they put their heart and their soul into practicing and performing for us.”
“Every single dancer had that finesse that made them feel the best, so they all worked in unison. It never felt like there was one or two or three that stuck out from everyone else. The choreography and whoever helped the dancers create the movements, the way that they were supposed to, was absolutely phenomenal,” said Teresa Harding.
Through Chinese classical dance, Shen Yun dancers are able to convey a wide range of expressions to bring out China’s ancient culture. And it resonated with many people.
“With 5,000 years of storytelling, and 5,000 years of history, there’s so much that you can express, and so many different stories to choose from. I thought there was a great blend of funny and entertaining and serious and thoughtful and beautiful and heartwarming stories told through dance and music,” said Donna Milakovic, Sr. Director Community Outreach at Utah Valley University.
The pieces also depict stories with a deeper meaning and a higher element.
“The closing scene when they show the people that were fighting or were having trials or difficulties in their life, and how spirituality or God can help you to be a better person or overcome them. I think that’s a great message,” said Roger Harding.
“We all have that spiritual side, and so you felt like, wow they brought that right in and it just felt comfortable, it felt beautiful,” said Teresa Harding.
“We are part of something bigger than what we are, and that there are all kinds of ways to express our faith and our integrity and our virtues. And the world could use a little more of that,” said Milakovic.
