SALT LAKE CITY—Theatergoers such as West Jordan Councilmember David Pack, who also teaches fine arts, enjoyed seeing Shen Yun Performing Arts at the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Theater in Salt Lake City, Utah.
"Wonderful. Loved the multimedia presentation and the performers on stage the orchestra in the pit, the visual projections, and how all of the imagery on stage horizontally and vertically converged together for a wonderful storytelling event," said councilmember and professor Pack.
Despite the snowstorm, patrons saw the New York-based Shen Yun presenting China before communism on Feb. 21 and 22.
One married couple drove 8 hours from Colorado.
"It’s easy to see how this could go over [to China] and be a restorative production for them to restore their faith and their values they had before that were so good. [China] lasted for thousands of years because of their values not because of something that happened now the last few decades, but because of then," said Patrick Rutherford, investor at Rutherford Oil Corp.
His wife, Linda Rutherford, said "the dancers—they didn’t need to speak because the dance spoke for itself."
"I wouldn’t turn it back. I didn’t care what the weather was. I was coming to see this performance," Mrs. Rutherford said.
Some parts of the show depict the ongoing persecution of the spiritual group Falun Gong in China.
"The Falun Gong—to recognize the suffering that these innocent people are going through and how oppressive the CCP is. And I’m really concerned about the CCP invading—infiltrating our country," said Jerry Heck, who served in the U.S. Army as Lt. Colonel.
Mr. Mortensen said, "The fact that they were persecuted for their religion and Falun Gong is persecuted in China, and it was—it hit me very hard to realize that people in China—I’ve always known the persecution is going on, but to know it—made it more personal. It made me feel like we were one—brothers and sisters."
Audience members also shared about the themes of spirituality and faith.
"There was almost a feeling of redemption as well, and always trying to get back to their roots which I thought was very unique," said Nick Williams, occupational therapist at Intermountain Healthcare.
