Actor Profoundly Impressed With the Experience of Shen Yun

Jeremy Sandberg
By Jeremy Sandberg
January 18, 2019Shen Yun
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Actor Matthew Flynn was enthusiastic to share his profound experience of watching Shen Yun for the first time on Jan. 15 at the David H. Koch theater at Lincoln Center in New York.

“As an actor and a performer, it was really moving,” said Flynn. “It really just touched me in a place I didn’t expect necessarily… emotionally.”

“In a word, I’d say it’s indescribable,” he said. “Honestly, because it is something that hits the inside enough that you just need to see it for yourself.

“In a sentence, I think I would say it’s something not to be missed.”

The actor expressed his respect for the skill level, discipline, and synchronicity of the performers.

“The fact that this has such divinity involved in it, and the fact that it has such passion behind it with all the people involved. I think it’s critical and, like I said, it’s forced me to ask some questions and I hope it forces other people to do their homework and ask some questions too,” said Flynn.

“The thing that resonates most with me personally about spirituality is how it’s undefined,” he said. “A lot like the emotional chord that was struck with me tonight. I can’t really pinpoint what makes something spiritual in nature to me—how it affects me. So I definitely felt that, in this, there’s a lack of definition [on spirituality].

“It’s just something that’s moving. It just really moves me inside.”

Flynn praised Shen Yun’s artistic director for the composition and complexity of the production.

“The work he’s done to put all this together. It really just, on a whole, makes something really special and beautiful that hits in a place you can’t really describe,” said Flynn. “But there’s an emotion there that’s just kind of like, ‘Wow, that’s not what I was expecting to see.’ I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anything like it.”

Composer and Media Artist Greg Arnold was impressed with how different the performance was from what he’s used to seeing in New York.

“It’s an interesting format. It’s different from what we’re used to in America,” said Arnold. “It’s an introduction to the history of China and to the width and breadth of (the) country. It’s an impressive culture, impressive people.”

“The soprano who sang about all of us being divine in our own right, many of us here are divine beings … that hits home.

“The divine inspiration really shines through with this,” said Flynn.

The heartfelt themes and messages conveyed were deeply felt by the audience. The portrayal of the ongoing persecution and suppression of spirituality by the Communist Regime in China was an urgent and important element of the performance.

According to the Shen Yun website, the Chinese Communist Regime fears the freedom of expression the arts company enjoys in the West.

“It makes me very interested to learn more,” Flynn said. “I had no idea, the level of persecution that’s taking place (in China) now.

“Historically, I had some idea that it was taking place. I had no idea it was currently still taking place en masse and that it’s very, very pertinent to today’s culture there.

“So it made me feel like I need to do my homework and I need to learn more.”

NTD News, New York

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