Shen Yun Performing Arts made stops in Omaha, Nebraska, and Idaho Falls, Idaho, this spring. Through the medium of classical Chinese dance and music, the company presents 5,000 years of China’s heritage from before communism.
“I think it’s phenomenal. I love the one with the sleeves. That was very impressive. The choreography is right on par, and the orchestra, the orchestra is really good,” said Mahlon Montgomery, industrial plant manager at Humic Growth Solutions.
“I loved it and I think that was one of the things that I appreciated the most is that it let you see what, in my opinion, is the real Chinese people that we don’t get to see because of the current political situation in the country,” said Richard Dodge, architectural firm owner of STUDIO I.
“I wanted to come to this to feel the culture again, because I love it so much. It’s just so amazing. The people, I love the horse dance because we were able to go to Mongolia. And so I saw the people and I saw the culture. And so that one was one of my favorites,” said Staci Huston, owner and director of Extreme Ballroom Company.
“Chinese culture was very well represented in here. I was really thrilled to see, again, that before communism, that beauty, the stuff that you see from Ming period and Tang period, it’s really … he brings that forward and it’s really beautiful to see that in the costume and the dance and the music and the whole thing. All together, it was really, really nice,” said Adam Bjorklund, senior information technology project manager at Edgio.
Ancient Chinese people believed their culture was derived from the Divine, with its values rooted in spirituality. Shen Yun restores these traditions that have thrived over dynasties, through stories of ancient folk-tales and musical pieces.
“You could tell that this whole program was based on Divine, the Divine which I really appreciated. I feel like we don’t talk about that enough anymore, I feel like that’s going away from culture and to see that your dancers were doing that and the whole story was about the Divine, it made it better for me,” said Ms. Huston.
“It was a religious undertone that appealed to everyone regardless of what your faith, particular denomination, or set of beliefs might be. It tied you back to a higher power and back to an understanding that really the true core eternal human values are that which was shared in that last number. It’s kindness and faith and generosity and enduring what life offers us that isn’t always so pleasant,” added Mr. Dodge.
“I think it’s important to know that the Divine Being did come to Earth and he did come to save his people. … And we know that that’s a very important message to spread: that God came to be with man,” said Mr. Bjorklund.
Traveling to 150 cities across 5 continents with 8 individual touring companies, Shen Yun Performing Arts will return in 2025—presenting an all-new original program.
NTD News, Nebraska & Idaho
