Shen Yun Performing Arts is a classical dance company that strives to bring thousands of years of culture alive.
From legends to folk dance and stories about modern-day China, Shen Yun continues to bring audiences across America an unforgettable night.
Former Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin, Rebecca Kleefisch, and her 13-year-old daughter Violet saw Shen Yun in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Feb. 2.
“We think that this is just about the best Christmas gift we could have received,” she said.
“This is a cultural experience as much as it is an arts experience.
“The dancers are so well trained. We are amazed at their extensions and their athletic ability. But on top of that, the singer … the soprano we heard was extraordinary.”
The faces of the mother and daughter lit up when they recalled a Shen Yun dance piece titled ‘Water Sleeves.’
“Those beautiful sleeves,” said Kleefisch. “They just flowed like water. It was incredible. We’re so impressed.”
China has a long history of spiritual practice that is being continued today by people who practice Falun Dafa.
However, under today’s communist regime, these people are persecuted for their beliefs. Inspired by their courage and by hope, Shen Yun brings their story to the stage, which has been touching audiences around the world.
“To see the persecution was really troubling,” said Ed Frutig, former vice president of General Motors. “I’ve traveled to China on several occasions, and you’re not aware as an American sometimes of how much the people are persecuted.
“That was powerful to see and really made me pray for them … think about praying for the Chinese people,” he said.
“That’s what this [Shen Yun] brings, this message of the Chinese people trying to reach out for an openness and a light that they don’t experience yet because of the government,” said Chuck Theusch, the founder of Foreign Aid Foundation.
Theusch heads a foundation that builds libraries in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. He said he has run into communist groups trying to censor information and put out the light, sometimes literally, of the libraries they build.
We live in a world of light versus dark today, Theusch said, and what he saw in the themes of Shen Yun was light.
“It’s light versus darkness, and this [Shen Yun] is light,” he said. “So I encourage anybody to come to see it.”
