Tampa Theatergoer Calls Shen Yun’s Artistry ‘World Class’

NTD Newsroom
Shen Yun
Shen Yun Performing Arts arrived at the Duke Energy Center for the Arts—Mahaffey Theater—in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Jan. 17 and Jan. 18. The classical dance company travels the globe with a mission: to revive the essence of traditional Chinese culture from before communism.

“I think it’s wonderful. The colors and the array and the dancing, their moves and everything is just spectacular,” said Gabriel Buky, the owner of Buky Construction.

“They were very poetic the way they were actually dancing, really showing us the stories. You could actually feel what they were trying to inspire upon us again. It was something, it’s something everyone should come out and take a look at and see it for their own,” said Robert Adams, the regional maintenance director of Southern Healthcare Management.

Matt McClellan, a business owner, said, “I think this is amazing to bring it to the people, to tell a story, to illustrate it through dance and color and vibration and energy; and the piano player, with the live singer, is world class.”

Inspired by China’s rich heritage, Shen Yun presents stories of timeless legends and ancient folk tales while also shining a light on modern-day communist China—and its grim reality of persecuting people of faith.

“I think it’s quite brave of them to continue to do this. I mean, the Chinese Communist Party is not someone to laugh at,” added Mr. Adams. “So to come out here and really show as much feeling that they were doing in their performance, it shows that they really matter. This matters to them, that this really means something to them, which is great, and now it’s inspiring an entire world to do things.”

Tim Sweeney, the president of an international market research group, said, “I think anybody who’s lived in a communist country understands the evils of communism, but I think we need to keep putting that message home: that people need to be free, and they need to be free to practice their spirituality and their religion.”

Traditional Chinese culture begins with a belief in spirituality and the Divine. The company uses classical Chinese dance, music, and 3D animated backdrops to communicate the traditional culture of China before communism.

Carlos Barrantes, the vice president of Market Risk at an international bank, said, “Spirituality is an important component of expression, right? That’s where you get your faith from. Very similar to our faith. We’re from a Christian background. It’s a very beautiful message.”

Tim Sweeney added, “There’s a common spirituality in all people. I think one of the problems in the modern age, particularly with the communists, is that they try to deny this essential aspect of human beings, which is their spirituality.”

Shen Yun will next perform three shows at the Venice Performing Arts Center in Venice, Florida on Jan. 25 and Jan. 26.
NTD News, Tampa, Florida

NTD is a media sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts, covering audience reactions since 2006.