ST. PAUL, Minn.—Audience members were fascinated and mesmerized by the concerted efforts of Shen Yun Performing Arts on Feb. 15 at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in St. Paul, Minn.
The rich cultural history portrayed through the music and dance had a positive impact on those that shared their experience.
"Mesmerizing," actor Joseph Facente said. "It was just so beautiful, and the short stories ... just the way they put it all together, the costumes, with the backdrop and how realistic they took it from the projection into reality ... it’s just amazing, amazing work."
"I wasn’t sure how that was going to play out when they said it but they hit it, better than anybody else could, for sure," he said.
Ambitious Mission
Shen Yun’s mission is to revive authentic divinely inspired traditional Chinese culture, a spiritual heritage the Chinese Communist Party has tried to destroy since 1949."I support it," Facente said. "I think that’s important, I think culture and art need to be preserved and passed on to other generations, and that’s part of being an artist is willing to go to any length to express one’s self, no matter what the constrictions are."
"A power greater than ourselves, that message.
"Faith, believing and doing something good ... spiritual message. Awesome."
Land of the Divine
China was once known as “the land of the divine” and its culture was traditionally believed to have been imparted from heaven. The messages perceived by the audiences of Shen Yun often reflect this belief."I think there’s divinity within all of us. I think they're a very real aspect of that, and I think they capture it well," John Mitchell, loan administration manager at Wells Fargo, said. "It’s been beautiful to watch."
"Fascinating," Matthias Kittok, vice president of Superior Endeavors, said. "You never know what you’re going to see behind the next curtain."
