Shen Yun Performing Arts hit the stage at the Harris Theater in Chicago, Illinois, on April 13 and 14. The performance showcases 5,000 years of culture conveyed through classical Chinese dance, music, costume, and 3D animated backdrops. Audience members were in “awe” of what they called Shen Yun’s “artistry and craftsmanship.”
KC Daugirdas, choir director at Lincoln Park High School, said: “I think I’m just going to take away a feeling of awe for the level of artistry and craftsmanship that all of the artists in this show have achieved and have been able to transmit. They’re just incredibly, incredibly skilled.”
Rich Gamble, president and CEO of Choose Chicago, said:; “The stories are what connects you to the people and the culture. Sometimes we think we’re very different people, but we really have the same hopes and dreams, we really have the same values. We’re about family, we’re about culture, we’re about tradition, we’re about sharing, and that’s what I love about Shen Yun.”
Dr. Alden Clendenin, physician and owner of Chicago Chiropractic & Sports Injury Centers, said: “It’s poetic. It’s beautiful to hear the music combined with the dance. It’s very emotional. Just seeing that it’s 5,000 years worth of traditional dance that has historically been building and making into this wonderful, beautiful art.”
Inspired by China’s rich heritage, Shen Yun’s performances also showcase themes of spirituality, something deeply ingrained into Chinese culture.
Mr. Gamble said: “I think it’s great. I think it’s something that everyone can relate to, if you believe in a higher power and a Creator, and you believe in good and evil, and you see that happen on any kind of basis, it’s something that you can understand and relate to. So that’s what I think is wonderful. Very relatable, the stories are all very relatable regardless of your culture or your background.”
Edward Green, director of professional services and operations, said: “Several of the messages just were very positive messages, like the spirituality that comes throughout the show and basically freedom and letting people do their practice the way they want to practice, and have faith in what they want to have faith in, and also the idea of a higher power. That there’s more to life and more to us than just the physical realm of ourselves, and there’s something outside ourselves that’s much more powerful.”
Shen Yun will next perform at the Des Moines Civic Center in Des Moines, Iowa on April 21.
NTD News, Chicago, Illinois
