Zeel Ahir, a council member for the City of Artesa, California, said, “I think I started crying when I opened up the program. And I think the efforts made to have such a beautiful concept be displayed in the form of art is commendable. If anything, I am honored to be here. I just was in awe the whole time. You can see concepts like purity, punctuality, discipline, grace, all being depicted in such a beautiful way.”
“A stunning show. Visually, the colors, the athleticism, the choreography, I’m just super impressed by everything that’s happening here today. This is my first experience at this show, and I’m absolutely astounded. It’s phenomenal,” said Dan Rocha, a candidate for Artesia City Council.
Lucy Diaz, an educator in the Pomona Unified School District, said, “What resonated is the announcement that the gentleman said that this kind of show you wouldn’t be able to see in China, only here you can see it. So I feel privileged that I get to enjoy that.”
Ms. Ahir said, “I really appreciate the art of precision through the designs, through the choreography, and the color schemes, everything. So I think overall, the Chinese culture is very precise. ... So I really appreciate that.”
Drawing inspiration from China’s rich cultural heritage, each performance holds a theme of spirituality, a value that is found at the origins of traditional Chinese culture.
“It was amazing. I loved it. It was very spiritual, refreshing, and it made me so relaxed,” said Araceli Campos, an adjudicator for the California Employment Development Department. “And I liked how they sang the song, the soprano, how she was so passionate about stop sin, stop atheism, that’s just a form of the evil one and we need more love and peace and doing good deeds.”
Based in New York, Shen Yun has been touring the world since 2006, featuring classical Chinese dance, music, and a patented digital backdrop.
“The way the 3D film became part of the living dancers, I liked that. And then they return back into the screen. That was a nice effect. I really enjoyed that,” said Ruben Martinez, a program manager for The Aerospace Corporation. “They’re very synchronized, and the music was really good to see it live. The orchestra playing live, that was a special treat. I wasn’t expecting that. I was expecting dancing with music, but not live music, and I enjoyed that.”
“I would say, there’s nothing else like it in the world. I’ve seen this advertised for years, and I’ve never had an opportunity until today to actually check it out. And I will tell people from here on out that this is absolutely something they need to come and see for themselves because there’s nothing in the world like it,” said Mr. Rocha.
