Shen Yun Brings ‘Beacon of Hope’: Delaware State Rep.

April 17, 2023

New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts gave seven performances in Philadelphia’s Miller Theater from April 12–16. Theatergoers say Shen Yun’s story-based classical Chinese dance was beautiful and uplifting.

Edward Andrus, a retired branch manager with IBM in Philadelphia and former president of the National Federation of Croatian Americans, attended Shen Yun. He was enchanted by Shen Yun: “Beauty, precision, lovely music, great people. Exquisite dancing. Dancing is out of this world, both the men and the women.”

Delaware state Rep. Michael Ramone, a Republican, had a great experience watching Shen Yun. “All the different bright colors was very invigorating. And then of course, seeing the dancing, and tying that in with the musical instruments. And the singing was just—it just wrapped it all together. It was just a very satisfying cultural experience, and I very much enjoyed it,” he said.

Delaware state Rep. Paul Baumbach, a Democrat, praised Shen Yun as inspiring. “It gives you warmth inside to watch it, and the skills of the performers were very inspiring. And the stories were just lovely, and the production was just magical,” said Rep. Baumbach.

Rep. Baumbach also said: “It was also nice to be able to connect up with the centuries-old—both the dance and the stories and just the culture. And then also going across several areas with the Himalayas and Mongolians, and it just really felt like we were connecting to the history of the culture. And so it was just very uplifting.”

Kimberley Leahy, an instructional designer with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, felt inspired by Shen Yun: “I had no idea that it was going to be this uplifting. I had no idea that it was going to be this empowering for the audience.”

The spirituality of traditional Chinese culture also resonated with audience members.

Mr. Andrus said: “I love the story behind it, the divinity and talking about heaven, and let’s get back to heaven. That’s what we all want to do at the end of the day, right? Get back to heaven. And it’s a very nice theme.”

Rep. Ramone said: “It was just excellent. It was very well thought out. And to see where we came from, through the histories of the Chinese culture, to where we ended at the end, was just a great experience and a great education.”

Rep. Baumbach said: “It’s that the beacon of hope that the performance showed that was one of the most important things you take away from the performance.”

Audience members recommended Shen Yun.

Rep. Ramone said: “I just hope and pray that you have a phenomenal show. And every single person that can get in there watches it, from now until the end of your tour because everybody who sees it will leave with a little something special. I think that’s very important.”

Ms. Leahy wanted to share with her friends about Shen Yun: “I’m gonna recommend it to all my friends. I can’t wait for it to tell—I’m going to literally post it on Facebook, in one moment and tell all my friends to come here and see this remarkable, beautiful performance.”

At the end of the performances, Mr. Ramone presented Shen Yun Performing Arts with a congratulatory letter for its commitment to preserving China’s early heritage and culture.

Rep. Baumbach also issued a letter thanking Shen Yun Performing Arts for upholding cherished principles.

NTD News, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania