“This is my first time seeing Shen Yun. It is so amazing. The honor and the celebration of Chinese culture is so beautiful. The costume design, the backgrounds, the digital art, the dancers, the storytelling, everything about it was so phenomenal. It’s such a different experience,” said Kimberly Magness, an actress, who saw Shen Yun in New York City.
Loki Patro, a company director who watched Shen Yun in Seattle, Washington, said, “Absolutely love it. 10 out of 10. Very peaceful. Very soothing.”
“It’s fabulous. I never expected it to be so colorful and exciting,” said Stacy Ballo, a financial aid specialist at Empire State University, who saw the performance in NYC.
John Ballo, a professor at Farmingdale State College, said, “And the music is fantastic. And the dancing is incredible.”
Ms. Ballo said, “I’m going to walk out of here with a skip in my step. Very happy, and joyous. I feel very grateful to have been able to experience this. We’ve been waiting a very long time, and it was a quality day.”
Ms. Magness said, “The dancers are top-of-the-line dancers. I mean, they don’t just dance, they do acrobatics too. And the costumes that go with it, the ribbons and the dresses that ebb and flow, everything about it is so beautiful. I absolutely loved it.”
In Colorado Springs, James Dorman, a former Air Force commander, said, “I was surprised at the precision of the dance. In each of the individual acts, you could see the fruit of a tremendous amount of practice, rehearsal, and I’m just taken aback by how well coordinated, how well choreographed each act is. And I really appreciate the fact that each act has a theme, and that’s been educational to learn about various aspects of Chinese culture.”
Mr. Dorman added that “The connection between the backdrop and the actual acting stage is surprising and very remarkable and beautifully done. You feel like people come actually out of the backdrop, and it looks real.”
“I really was happy to see the divine connection and the allusions to the Creator and how those big ideas resonate down into Chinese culture. I was unaware of that, but I’m really delighted to see that, and it’s very encouraging to me,” said Mr. Dorman.
Ms. Magness said, “This performance can definitely teach you about kindness. That was the main theme that drew me in, and kind of how karma… just be kind to everyone and celebrate everybody, and good will come back to you.”
Mr. Patro said, “5,000 years ago, 3,000 years, [in] all cultures, the values are more important. But today it is missing out. People are cheating. And so this [performance] gives us what we really should be as humans, the values here that they bring along."
Since the Chinese communist regime took power in 1949, it has systematically tried to destroy the traditional Chinese culture that Shen Yun is trying to revive. This is one of the reasons Shen Yun can not perform in China to this day.
“That is insane to me that they cannot perform in China because I think everyone should be able to see this and be exposed to this kind of celebration of Chinese culture, and it’s so beautiful. Like, why would you want to hide that from your people? I just think everyone, if they can, should try to come and see the show,” said Ms. Magness.
“Having traveled to Asia multiple times, I understand a lot about the culture. But, I also realize about the suppression of what has happened with China,” said Peter Bickel, the CEO and president of an international healthcare company, who saw Shen Yun in NYC. “And I think that the overall choreography and the special effects of the show have just been beyond our expectations, just really, really wonderful. But it’s great to know more about the culture.”
Jon Ryan Neace, a businessman who also watched Shen Yun in NYC, said, “Keep up the good work. You’re doing amazing things. You’re getting your message out to the people, and I think that’s the best way to do it. And even if you can’t get it to mainland China, you can get it to others who know people over there, and maybe you can make a difference through the artistic expression.”
Ms. Magness said, “I am so impressed with the performers. Like, I am in awe of them. I cannot imagine the training they must go through for this type of thing, but also the fact that Shen Yun’s been around for 20 years, and it has eight world tours going on at the same time. I don’t know any other show in the world that does that and can stand up to that. So, like to be able to conquer all of that, you know it has to be an amazing show.”
“They are doing something great throughout their traveling throughout the world. The world needs to see how they are positive, how their performance would help others,” said Angela Holmes, a pastor, who watched Shen Yun in Aurora, Illinois. “I want to say to those who have not seen it, to come and see it. You’ll get a lot of inspiration out of being just alive today. This was something wonderful, very inspiring. So I would say: Come, come see it. It’ll be good for you.”
