Richard Bacon, a professor of art, said, “I had the wonderful opportunity in 2012 to teach at Tsinghua University in Beijing. And I’ll tell you, I went to lots of performances when I was in China for five weeks. Nothing comes close to [Shen Yun]. It is truly amazing. This is my third year in a row, and I’m going to be a lifelong member as long as I can come. I’m always just amazed by it. Incredibly talented people.”
Artemis Martin, a high school principal, said: “The artistry, the dance, is just absolutely beautiful, and all of the historical beauty of it all.”
“I’ve been looking forward to this for so long,” said James Kern, a museum founder. “They’re like angels. That’s, that’s my word. God has given them special talent, and you can tell they love it. They love what they do, and anybody who loves what they do is doing what God put them here for.”
“I think it’s a beautiful mission. I don’t think enough people know about Chinese history and the beauty of it all,” said Ms. Martin. “I’m so happy that I’m actually here with my family, so that they can see the actual history of China, and not just what you see in today’s world, but actually the full history of the beauty of China.”
Audience members felt inspired by Shen Yun’s vibrant colors and graceful movements, as well as the dancers’ discipline and physical abilities.
Mr. Bacon said, “As an artist, I’m very much drawn to the color and the movement, and so it’s kind of like witnessing a live painting, of just seeing all of the movement and the color, just really incredibly inspiring. And I feel like now I want to go and I want to add that movement to my paintings, see if I can incorporate, you know, my inspiration from today.”
Mr. Kern said, “I so appreciate the movement, the grace, the muscular activity they can do with the body that they’ve been given by God. It’s amazing what mankind can do, if he sets his mind to it.”
Mr. Kern added that “here is a higher power that allows the body, human body to do what they do. Because unless you have done this for years and years and years, you can’t even think about doing that. They make moves that no one can move like that. You know ... just no one can do the splits like this.”
“It’s hard to even describe in words how beautiful and meaningful this experience has been, and I look forward to it every year,” said Mr. Bacon.
Ms. Martin said, “Beautiful job. Absolutely wonderful. Your performance is stunning, truly.”
