Author and Radio talk show host Kat James spoke in high regard of Shen Yun after watching the performance.
“Incredible energy and just very generous and you know, divine in them reaching the divine and in the audience,” said James. “It’s very different you know than anything that I’ve ever seen.”
“It’s something that always leaves you different when you see a performance that is of a high caliber, but this is off the charts,” she said.
Philanthropist Ann Van Ness shared her experience of attending Shen Yun for the first time.
“The performance was extraordinary,” said Van Ness. “I really believe in the plight of these people, for the expression and the preservation of the traditions of China.”
“I really enjoyed it and I would certainly come back again to see,” she said.
Van Ness approved of the mission of Shen Yun to bring back China’s 5,000 years of traditional culture.
“I think it’s important that we preserve our traditions so that we don’t make the same mistakes throughout the history of the world,” said Van Ness. “It’s beautiful and innovative and I think if we suppress the past, and we don’t let people believe in freedom of mind and spirit, then you have no innovation in the world.”
Reading Into the Dance
James was outspoken on the common themes she perceived on the stories told through dance.
“Fantastic, and I love that you have something depicting the forces of evil, the forces of good, and the sense of victory over that,” she said. “Again I think that’s something we really need right now.”
“In the second half, I realized that the word that describes the whole thing is elegance, and yet the divinity comes in,” she said.
She had a dynamic understanding of the messages conveyed.
“The message I perceived is that, it’s something that is pro-human, pro-humanity,” said James. “There’s a clear division, fighting, we all have to fight dark forces, and its inspiration for that.”
“I can tell it was divinely inspired, so really fantastic,” she said. “I just think it’s a very good time to have something, a performance that has a philosophy behind it, that is based on love and freedom.”
James recognized a theme of disconnecting from daily modern routines and striving for self-improvement.
“That you can reach higher, and that you don’t need to let, you know the day to day, and I love the little bit with the cell phones, etc,” said James. “What a great message. You know, get away from the mentality of technology and what we’re told to think and what we’re told to do and get back in touch with our divine selves.”
NTD News, New York
