On July 24, Shen Yun Performing Arts once again returned to Stamford, Connecticut, to perform three additional shows in two days.
Sam Shukovsky, associate director at Boehringer-Ingelheim, one of the world’s largest privately-owned pharmaceutical companies, came to see Shen Yun with his wife and his twin daughters.
“I loved it. It was spectacular,” said Mrs. Shukovsky. “The costumes were amazing. The dancing was gorgeous. The music was beautiful. It was just phenomenal.”
“Exactly, everything was just fantastic,” said Mr. Shukovsky. “We saw the commercials on TV, and [it] exceeded all expectations. It was just amazing. The abilities of all the performers, it was just outstanding.”
Accompanying the classical Chinese dance is Shen Yun’s own live orchestra, which blends classical Western and Chinese instruments.
Shukovsky says he’s seen many other performances, but he feels that Shen Yun is in a league of its own.
“It’s a unique performance. Having seen a number of Broadway shows, and comparing this to that—it’s completely different. It’s just a wholly brand new experience that doesn’t equal anything else out there,” he added.
“The singers had amazing voices. And the instruments were incredible. I had never heard that,” said Mrs. Shukovsky. “I don’t know what it was called—the two-string instrument that she was playing—but it was great. I love the combination of that and the piano together.”
Shukovsky’s daughters are both swimmers. They say the show felt like more than just a performance.
“I felt really inspired afterward,” said Alexis, one of the twin sisters. “Because it was really cool how they performed and you can really see like their emotions, I guess, as they performed. And it sort of made me feel like they were able to, like, learn so much to be able to do that. So like maybe everyone else can learn a lot, too.”
The Chinese Communist Party has systematically destroyed China’s ancient culture since it took power. Shen Yun’s mission is to revive the authentic traditional culture forged through the country’s 5,000 years of civilization.
Mr. Shukovsky said, “It’s a valiant effort to do so, to bring back the culture that has been extinguished in the country. I think that’s a wonderful idea. And I hope more people can see it.”
NTD News, Stamford, Connecticut
