Shen Yun started their performances in Seattle, Washington, on March 31. Audiences called it inspiring.
“Wonderful, awesome, we love the performance, it’s beautiful. And everything about it was awesome and inspiring, so loved it,” said Len Wiens, the director of a dance school called Reflections School of Dance.
“I find it very inspiring. A couple times, I actually got emotional, which is very unusual for me,” said Arthur Best, a financial adviser at Prudential.
“The performance was great, the artists were awesome, the music was wonderful,” said Mario Gonzalez, an MRB liaison engineer at Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
“I think we just love the whole show, it’s very professional. And as people who work in that field, we know that there’s so much work and labor that goes into putting something like this together. So we’re just really grateful for all the professional work,” said Debbie Wiens, who is also a director of Reflections School of Dance and the wife of Len Wiens.
Shen Yun aims to bring back the ancient Chinese culture, believed to be inspired by the divine. Audiences said they felt that message in the performance.
“I do teach my girls that we are spirit, soul, and body. And to dance from your spirit is so much more powerful than just physical movement. And I think that that was a little bit the direction that they are going with the show. And yeah, when you invite the spirit, and it’s just so much more vibrant, and can really bring the audience in also, which is beautiful,” Mrs. Wiens said.
“They were beautiful, and they put [in] their heart and soul. You could tell they were invested in what they were doing. And it was like, what was in them. It was the divine being inside dancing. And you could see that and just their expressions and their passion and their skill. It was magical,” said Sharon Best, who is the wife of Arthur Best.
Some said it was more than just a performance.
“I feel like the message was to be compassionate. It was truth, compassion, forbearance, I had never heard it explained in exactly those words. And I felt like that would change the world if everyone lived by that. It’s a beautiful spiritual message. It was about uniting people. It was about caring for people even in the dance, it showed caring for other people. So that was really special,” said Eileen Schmitz, who is the president of Jace Real Estate Company.
“We’re created to live in compassion and faith and that’s who we really are internally. And it gets covered over by all this stuff, and evil,” Mrs. Best said.
Shen Yun presents an entirely new performance every year, bringing original music and dance pieces to the stage.
“I say keep up the great work. Yeah. And hopefully next year it will be something new and exciting,” Mr. Gonzalez said.
“Thank you so much for all the work that went into this production. It was absolutely amazing. We’re so grateful, honored, and thankful to be here today,” Mr. Wiens said.
The group will perform in Seattle until April 9, while another troop will take to the stage for thirteen performances in New York City through April 16.
NTD News, Seattle, Washington
