CHEYENNE, Wyo.—Several state officials from the Wyoming House of Representatives welcomed Shen Yun Performing Arts to Cheyenne from March 14 to 15.
The elected officials saw a display of classical Chinese dance with a live orchestra at the Cheyenne Civic Center.
“Absolutely incredible. I was blown away. The amount of skill—I was captivated by one piece of music, and then I didn’t even realize I was in the middle of a key change. It was absolutely great. I loved it,” said state Rep. Daniel Singh.
“Just an absolutely beautiful and divine, for lack of a better word, performance,” said state Rep. Jared Olsen.
“The orchestra has been great and how it coordinates with the dance movement. People think it’s probably easy to do, but that is so flawless on how those dance rhythms hit exactly with the instrumental notes,” said state Rep. Dan Zwonitzer.
Shen Yun’s mission is to bring back China’s traditional culture. But, the Chinese Communist Party has been trying to eradicate China’s spiritual heritage and groups of faith such as Falun Dafa—an ancient meditation practice that follows the principles of Truth, Compassion, Forbearance.
“I connect with those values, and I believe that we need to promote those values on an individual basis to help build the character of each and every one of us here in Wyoming and all across the world,” Rep. Singh said.
“I think it’s really powerful and important to connect with your old traditions and to have that some level of religiosity because it ties in with your culture, certainly the Chinese traditions that [are] based on religion, and what you’re seeing today with present-day China and communism squashing out some of that culture that the ancient traditions and dance that the people had—so, it is nice that we’re trying to revive it and keep it alive even in this day and age,” Rep. Zwonitzer said.
Established in 2006, the New York-based Shen Yun now has 8 different companies that tour the world simultaneously.
“I think it’s a performance worth seeing. I think it shows a side of China that maybe we’re not accustomed to in today’s world, and so it shows an old China, but a beautiful part of China that I think anyone can benefit from seeing,” Rep. Olsen said.
Rep. Zwonitzer added that it was a great family experience and he’d be glad to return next time Shen Yun comes to Cheyenne.
“If Shen Yun comes back to Cheyenne I will definitely come again and bring more family members and really encourage participation to watch this amazing program,” he said.
“I would have to say that this show is incredibly uplifting, and it reminds us about our values of freedom and independence as we go forward, considering how isolated we’ve been with COVID-19. This show presents an opportunity for us to come together and enjoy something beautiful,” Rep. Singh said.
NTD News, Cheyenne, Wyoming
