Traditional Culture in Shen Yun Brings ‘Inspiration,’ Says New York City Audience Member

NTD Newsroom
Shen Yun
On March 27, audience members welcomed Shen Yun Performing Arts at The David H. Koch Theater at the Lincoln Center in New York City. Through classical Chinese dance and music, Shen Yun aims to share the beauty of China from before communism. Theatergoers say they felt inspired after watching the performance.

“The outfits that they're wearing are just beautiful. They have a lot of sparkle to them and color. They remind me of nature and flowers and things like that. I do have a lot of inspiration from it,” said Debbie Haley, a graphic designer.

“The coordination of the animation with the live performances was just incredible. I thought it was wonderful,” said Arnie Fink, a dentist.

“It's so artistic, so beautiful, very talented people. And it's good to know, to learn about the culture,” said Miyer Levy, a company financial director. “It's very good. The singer was amazing, and the piano player was great as well.”

Shen Yun draws its inspiration from five millennia of traditional Chinese civilization. Ancient Chinese people believed their culture and values to be gifts from the Divine—a culture that the Chinese Communist Party has systematically tried to destroy after rising to power in 1949. Theatergoers applauded the effort behind Shen Yun’s performance.

“It was powerful because along with the beauty, there's some intense stories that are told, stories of persecution. And I think if you're a person of faith, that rings true with you, to know it's not just history, but it's going on now. That was very powerful to me. Even though it was inspiring and beautiful, that was very important to hear and to see,” said Donna Jean Breckenridge, a writer.

“It just felt really heartwarming. It felt really good to watch the show. And I felt good to do good and be kind and have a lot of love for each other versus the ugly, bad people. It was put together well in the show,” said Mark Turner, a business owner. “My takeaway, it was really very inspiring, very humbling, and I really loved it. Made me feel good.”

“I think that when you see the agility of the dancers and you know what work they must have put into this to become this professional and this tremendous, it's overwhelming. It really is. It's beautiful to watch,” said Terri Orlando, a real estate agent.

Shen Yun will be performing at The David H. Koch Theater in New York City until April 12.
NTD News, New York

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