Ken and Wendy Styron at Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Mobile Civic Center Theater on Jan. 23, 2024. (Sally Sun/The Epoch Times)
MOBILE, Ala.—University President Ken Styron and his wife, Wendy, a university administrator, were thrilled to finally experience Shen Yun Performing Arts after wanting to see it for two years.
Exiting the Mobile Civic Center Theater on Jan. 23, Mr. Styron said the show “has been really, really good.” The couple was deeply moved by the performers’ artistry.
“I enjoyed the different culture and just seeing the colors and movements–I really, really enjoyed it,” Mr. Styron exclaimed, adding that everyone could learn something from traditional Chinese culture.
“I loved the stories. The stories behind the dancing and the scenes were really good. Really educational.”
Based in New York, Shen Yun Performing Arts was started by a group of elite artists dreaming of bringing back the beauty of traditional China.
With a mission to restore the country’s 5,000 years of divinely inspired culture, Shen Yun is using classical Chinese dance and music to transport audiences to an era untouched by communism.
Mr. Styron found deep resonance in the spiritual dimension of the performance. Particularly poignant for him was a narrative dance that portrayed a young girl’s unwavering commitment to her faith, even in the face of persecution by the Chinese Communist Party.
“That was very moving,” he stated. “It was very, very good—not just that one, but the others too—With people coming down from the heavens and then returning to the heavens.”
For its 2024 touring season, Shen Yun’s eight equally-sized companies will be performing in over 200 cities across five continents.
Met with wide acclaim since its establishment in 2006, the company can be expected to return each year with a brand-new set of choreography and musical compositions.
Jim Andrews and Dottie Young enjoyed Shen Yun's evening performance at the Mobile Civic Center Theater on Jan. 23, 2024. (Sherry Dong/The Epoch Times)
Also in the audience was professional saxophonist Jim Andrews, a proud inductee into the Iowa Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
“I cannot take my ears and eyes off of it. It was flawless. I’ve never seen anything like it before—it’s the pinnacle of my life,” he said after the performance.
“[The performers] are so young, and they’re so gifted and so beautiful. The musicianship, the visual … everything was flawless. I’m so inspired.”
Mr. Andrews added that the performance went into his soul and heart and gave him a new perspective on life. “It makes me feel inspired to be a better person,” he said.
“The message [of the show] is to deliver inspiration to people, to make them see who they are, and [to tell them] that there are people out there that can give us hope.”
Reporting by Sally Sun, Sherry Dong, and Jennifer Tseng.
