While Attending Shen Yun ‘We Were Sitting in a Lotus Flower,’ Says New Yorker

While Attending Shen Yun ‘We Were Sitting in a Lotus Flower,’ Says New Yorker
James Bernacchia and Carissa Fox enjoyed Shen Yun Performing Arts at Lincoln Center on April 9, 2026. (Xinxin Teng/The Epoch Times)
NEW YORK CITY—James Bernacchia and Carissa Fox enjoyed Shen Yun Performing Arts at Lincoln Center on April 9. “The experience was amazing, and it really touches the heart.” Mr. Bernacchia said that it was his fiancée, Ms. Fox, who wanted to watch the show, so they came. Ms. Fox said, “I’ve been wanting to see the show for a while now, and just so far I’ve just been blown away.”

Mr. Bernacchia described a very special scene he was presented with when entering the theater: “When I walked in [to the theater], and I looked up, I saw that we were sitting in a lotus flower.”

The name Shen Yun means “the beauty of divine beings dancing.” Based in New York, Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company, with a mission to revive 5,000 years of China’s divinely inspired heritage and share with audiences the beauty of China before communism.

Mr. Bernacchia continued, “The woman who sat next to us said she comes here year after year, and she said the music touches each organ and hits the heart, the spleen, the lungs, and you could feel the vibrations from the music coming. … This was the right place to be at the time.”

Because of his practice in Buddhism, Mr. Bernacchia thought that he was able to feel the energy “from the stage and from the crowd as well. As everyone’s energy built up. It’s like everyone felt empowered at the same time. Many in body, one in mind.”

“The color of the energy is purple.” Mr. Bernacchia said, “I felt the energy, I felt a lot in my lungs where it needs cleansing, and also in my heart because my heart is usually open.”

Ms. Fox said, “The entire performance touched me. The hard work that the dancers have put in, and everything like the colors, the art, the music, the way it flows through you, everything. It was blowing me away.”

Mr. Bernacchia praised the Shen Yun’s artists, “I think it’s wonderful, and I think all the artists and performers are really singing from the soul and trying so passionately. They’re putting their souls into it.”
Reporting by Xinxin Teng and Sophia Fang.

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