WITCHITA, Kan.—Michael Wayne McNally Hicks, a former military airborne paratrooper, saw Shen Yun Performing Arts at the opening matinee at Century II Performing Arts and Convention Center on April 6.
“Top-notch, two thumbs up,” he said, “I would recommend it to anybody!”
“Coupled with the etheric field that we all feel but we don’t acknowledge … this production is the remembrance of the divine spark within all of us,” he added. “[T]he whole message is to remember who we are, and [that] we are unconditionally loved by very loving [deities] from above or within.”
“They took their time, energy, and effort—countless hours of just practice and stretching their limits to the max—and calming the storm within their emotional embodiment and their mental embodiment … creating the sphere of influence for their spirit to reside, to blossom out.”With its flips and gentle elegance, Chinese dance is one of the most athletic and expressive art forms in the world. According to the company’s website, Shen Yun has preserved the true aesthetics of this classical dance system—the way it has been passed down from antiquity— and presents this authentic culture in its purest form.
In the past, artists looked to the divine for inspiration and cultivated virtue in order to create uplifting art. Today, Shen Yun’s artists follow in this noble tradition, which is why audiences feel there is something different about Shen Yun, says the company’s website.
Heart-Filling
Pauline Rutherford, who designs and makes jewelry, said she had waited years to see Shen Yun after having heard so many good reviews about it.Attending the opening matinee at Century II Performing Arts and Convention Center on April 6, she said, “I had tears in my eyes … it was just so beautiful.”
“The creativity of this and the beauty in it is just amazing. It was worth every penny,” she said.
According to the company’s website, Shen Yun’s costumes and colors are true to traditional aesthetics and styles, painting each dance piece with the splendor of the past.
Mrs. Rutherford felt the Shen Yun performers’ energy and how they shared that with the audience, saying, “I think it came clear into the audience—the energy.”
Describing her Shen Yun experience in a few words, she said, “It was heart-filling.”
