ATLANTA—The Atlanta Symphony Hall in Georgia filled up twice on Dec.26, with audience members eager to see Shen Yun Performing Arts.
Tim A. Kinsey, director of Curriculum Development & Instructional Design at Cox Communications, said, “Seeing traditional Chinese dance and seeing the color and the story was just amazing.”
Digital creator and social media influencer Cameron Hamilton, who has over 2 million followers on Instagram, saw the evening performance. “Everything from the dancing to the musical orchestra, the solo acts—I mean I was blown away.”
“It was just inspiring to see the level of talent, the level of creativity that went into Shen Yun,” said Mr. Hamilton, who also works in artificial intelligence. “It was just a great blessing to be here, to be able to experience it.”
He added that watching the performance made him feel “at peace.”
“The biggest thing that came to mind for me while watching the show was elegance. It was really just the essence of elegance— watching the dancing, every movement was so fluid. I just felt very at peace watching the show.”
Mr. Hamilton said the dance “really captures something divine in those movements.”
Shen Yun’s website says its goal is to revive the beauty and goodness of China before communism.
Mr. Hamilton said watching Shen Yun helped him learn more about what is happening in China today, as well as China’s rich culture.
“I knew nothing about [it] prior to watching the show. So I appreciated that there was an educational component as well.”
Based in New York, Shen Yun presents “classical Chinese dance in its purest form.”
Nathan Harbison, vice president of Macallan Construction, said, “The artistry is phenomenal—the colors, the choreography, the precision, the timing. It’s very enchanting, but it’s also very relaxing at the same time.”
He added that “the whole idea of the Chinese culture, the authenticity of the history that you base your dance on and your movements—those principles and artistry form is very enlightening.”
He especially felt touched when seeing the modern-day piece, which tells the story of the persecution of faith in China today.
“The little story about the truth, compassion, and forbearance, it was heart-touching to realize that that is a reality that we all probably believe that we live in.”
“I would take away from that, that we all should practice a little more honesty and forbearance and compassion one with the other,” Mr. Harbison added.
Shen Yun will continue its performances in Houston, San Jose, Miami, Boston, Japan, and Germany this week.
