DALLAS—Matt and Cammy Gaston watched Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Eisemann Center on Jan. 3, and were genuinely grateful for the wonderful performance.
“I enjoyed the music, and the orchestra sounded beautiful,” said Cammy Gaston, a pastor at the United Methodist Church.
Shen Yun Performing Arts was established in 2006 in New York by elite Chinese artists who saw the destruction of traditional Chinese culture in China and wanted to revive it. Classical Chinese dance, one of the most comprehensive dance systems in the world, is Shen Yun’s hallmark. The expressiveness of the art form enables Shen Yun artists to present the beauty of China before communism.
Mrs. Gaston said, “The colors of the dancers were just lovely. And I love the acrobatics and the beautiful expression of dance.”
Matt Gaston, lead pastor at First United Methodist Church, enjoyed the classical Chinese dance piece, Water Sleeves. “[I] love the movement with sleeves. And the blend of dance is just beautiful.”
Shen Yun draws inspiration from the 5,000 years of Chinese history. Through story dance pieces, ancient legends come to life on stage, conveying the messages of universal values. In addition to telling stories in ancient times, Shen Yun also features a dance story that is happening in modern-day China, where Falun Gong practitioners resist a brutal persecution with unwavering courage.
“The stories of redemption and social justice, I’m really a fan of both of those,” said Mr. Gaston, who also appreciated the dance piece telling the story in today’s China. “We should stand against religious oppression. We have to stand together for that.”
Mrs. Gaston said, “We can see the similarities of the redemption stories in our religion as well as what we were seeing up on the stage.”
Knowing the religious persecution that is taking place in China today, Mr. Gaston said, “We have to stand together for that, and we are proud to be supporters of it.”
The couple were also very much impressed by the soprano. “She was fabulous!” Mr. Gaston said.
Mrs. Gaston added that she was entertained by the dance story of the Pigsy from the classic Chinese novel ‘Journey to the West.’ “I was surprised at the whimsical nature of that particular piece. So, that was fun,” she said.
Reporting by Yawen Hong and Sophia Fang.
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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