Five thousand years of divinely inspired culture was rekindled in Jacksonville, Florida, and Portland, Oregon, as audiences enjoyed Shen Yun Performing Arts on Jan. 21 and 22.
“I could feel the heart how, when in 2006, the people in New York decided to really reclaim Chinese culture, and all of the artistry, the work, and the passion that's gone into combining the dance with the music,” said Lanelle Chase, a professor of marketing.
“It's really uniquely, and it's something that was very insightful for me in understanding Chinese culture better.”
Dr. Vasily Rozenbaum, a physician at Baptist Health, said, “The culture, the way of life, everything that is presented, and the way that everything was [in China]—the way that the people were.”
Through the medium of the arts, New York-based Shen Yun showcases stories of heavenly beauties and timeless legends that span multiple dynasties, while also highlighting current issues—especially those surrounding communist China's human rights abuses against faith groups like Falun Gong, a spiritual practice that promotes the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance.
Jonathan Gardner, a computer analyst said, “It's nice to see these days people who are willing to express their beliefs so freely in public, and I do quite like that.”
“We're up to date with common culture, and we're aware of current persecutions of minority groups in China,” physician Rene Pulido said. “It's unfortunate. I'm hoping they can learn a little bit from the United States and just learn to love everybody because it's the different cultures that make them strong. It doesn't make them weak to have different cultures, that actually makes them stronger.”
Prof. Chase said Shen Yun really “helped bring me more of an understanding of Chinese culture and also what Chinese are going through now in China—some of which is pretty sad given the suppression going on.
“And so, where there's suppression and where people can't express the fullness of what they believe in, their faith, that's really not something that comes from God, I don't think.
“And so, I appreciate the fact that you're highlighting the need for humanity to express and also experience God and I believe that God reveals Himself to us unique. So I think it's super important that it's reclaimed.”
“Especially nowadays, there's issues with religions and I think spirituality is really important. So again, different cultures have different beliefs and I think that feeds through the whole [performance]. It's the spirituality from thousands of years of Chinese culture,” said Craig Tinline, an international human resource consultant at Mercer.
“It gives me hope that it comes back, that the Divinity and everything comes back,” said Dan Donovan, a former U.S. Coast Guard commander. “It was kind of breathtaking to watch it all. It makes you think that we all have one Creator, and it shows that it spans across the oceans, and no matter what the culture or who the people are, it shows that we still believe in one Creator.”
