“Lovely, wonderful athleticism, graceful dancers could not hear them when they landed out of their jumps. It was wonderful. The costuming was excellent, and I really appreciated the digital storyline. I loved how that was interplayed with all of the dancing,” said Catherine Mooney-Burton, a dance instructor and choreographer. “I felt this show was very spiritual, and it wasn’t what I anticipated. I anticipated coming to see the dancing. Was surprised and delighted by the music, and thought that the two melded together very well.”
“The colors are exquisite. The outfits are fantastic. I’m just excited to be here,” said Alisa Dodenhoff, a business owner.
Mike Wiilson, a business owner, commented, saying, “We are blown away by the skill and the expertise of the dancers. The music is amazing. The background and the transitions between the screen and the live action is amazing.”
Based in New York, Shen Yun was founded in 2006, on a mission to revive 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture from before communism, through classical Chinese dance and music.
“This is a great way to start learning about Chinese culture. And if you know something about Chinese culture, come and expand your knowledge,” said Ms. Mooney-Burton. “Society goes through different periods, but what goes around comes around. And you can see in the stories, what was depicted on stage is happening now, and you can relate to some of that. But you also have to have hope, because there’s always hope.”
“It’s amazing. I think that if we continue to spread Shen Yun around the country, then there’ll be a cultural explosion throughout the U.S.,” said Mr. Wilson.
“It’s uniquely different. Because I’ve lived here my whole life, and I’ve never seen something of this magnitude, embracing the Chinese culture. I wish I’d come decades prior; I would encourage everybody to come. This is beautiful. So well done,” said Ms. Dodenhoff.
“The men were really exciting, because it was very energetic. But the women were beautiful. Beautiful. And their rapid feet, especially in the Manchurian dance on the higher shoe, that was very interesting,” said Ms. Mooney-Burton.
“Anything that encourages you to to stand for high ideals, even in the face of difficulty and persecution and trial, that you stand true even because of that, I think you know that is something that we should all be doing for each other and helping, trying to inspire each other to do the same kind of things,” said Charles Lewis, an IT director.
“I think Chinese culture sometimes gets a bad rap from the U.S. media because of the current times. But when we see this, you see generations of history, dance, happiness, and love throughout the entire Asian culture,” said Mr. Wilson.
Shen Yun’s patented digital backdrop, combined with live stage performances, left a lasting impression on audiences.
“I thought that was lovely. I also really loved the peacock piece. Oh my word, with all of the dry ice coming at you, and the clouds on the digital [backdrop], and then the costuming. That was probably my favorite for effect. I thought that was a beautiful effect,” said Ms. Mooney-Burton.
“I thought that the way they would jump out of the screen, and then especially the story of the Monkey King, was really well done. I really enjoyed that,” said Timothy Tripp, a technology manager.
“That [digital backdrop] was very beautiful. Whoever was involved in producing that art was very skilled, and I thought it added a lot to the program,” said Mr. Lewis.
