NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C.—Retired airline pilot Larry LaVerne and his son John, a company owner and the chairman of the Charleston Tourist Board, greatly enjoyed their time at Shen Yun’s evening performance on Feb. 13 at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center.
“It’s beautiful. I even brought my two older boys, they’re men in their 50s. They weren’t sure how they’d like the show, but they’re loving it.”
Mr. Larry LaVerne loved every part of the performance and said it was very hard to decide what was most impressive because “it’s all perfect.”
“The stories are so well thought out, and the baritone singer was wonderful. He was so good. I’m just thankful that I got to come.”
Using classical Chinese, folk, and ethnic dances, as well as solo musical performances, Shen Yun tells tales from ancient times to the modern day.
Mr. John LaVerne, on the other hand, had no idea what to expect when he entered the theater. However, at the end of the evening, he said enthusiastically that, “It was fascinating.”
“The costumes, the talent, the whole experience was more than I ever expected. My dad, for some reason, had Shen Yun on his radar. He’s not a theater, artsy kind of guy. To see him really enjoy an experience like this—that’s been a really neat aspect of it,” he added.
“This is so out of his normal activity, and he said, ‘I’ll take you.’ I’ve never been a fan of Chinese ballets and orchestras. I’ve never been to one, but this exceeded all my expectations.”
“The storytelling behind each scene and to realize the suffering that some of these folks have been through—whether it was centuries ago or in the modern day, [the artists] just do a great job of bringing the story to life,” he said.
“It was very inspirational. I wanted to bring my daughter here to see it. She would have loved everything about it, but it’s a school night. I’ll bring her back. We’ll go to New York or wherever we need to [see the show.]”
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.
