Caitlin Winger, a ballet teacher, said, “I’m very impressed. I really love all of the different elements that go into the dance. It’s not just ballet or acrobatics, but you’re putting so many different things and cultural elements in. It’s really just an all-around great watch and good experience.”
Tom Decker, a former academy principal, said, “I loved it. It really captivated me. I love the leaping and the jumping. I liked how the screen interplayed with the stage. That was brilliant.”
“It’s amazing. Oh my goodness, it’s absolutely stunning. I am so moved. It’s beautiful,” Leah May Heideman, a speech language pathologist, said.
Ms. Winger said, “The orchestra is fantastic. They’re so crisp and very in tune the entire time, and the dancers being able to keep up with it—exactly along with it, I’ve danced with an orchestra before, I know how difficult that is—it’s really impressive to watch.”
“I love just the sense of beauty, just tremendous beauty and respect and honor, and those very traditional Chinese values,” Mr. Decker said. “If I were Chinese, I would be very proud to have that as part of my culture.”
Ms. Winger said, “That entire dance was just very, very impactful. I learned a lot.”
Shen Yun has been touring the world since 2006, and has grown to eight different companies. Each year, Shen Yun brings an all-new performance, with brand new costumes, choreography, and music.
Gladys Decker, a retired educator, said, “We have very young grandkids who would not sit through the whole thing, but they would have loved it. We think maybe when they’re a little older, we can come and bring them to one of these performances.”
Mr. Decker said, “For us both as educators, to see children on their screens so many hours every day, and parents allowing screens to babysit them is a very sad thing in our culture. I really valued what this culture represented in the discipline that they had.”
Ms. Heideman said, “You should see it. This is the best. I am absolutely blown away. And I will definitely be coming back.”
