RENO, Nev.—China was once the great Tang, the great Han and many other dynasties that came and went. China nowadays is under communist rule, but Shen Yun is a reminder of those great dynasties.
Charles Rieckhoff works in real estate and he shared that Shen Yun helped him “realize the values that have brought prosperity in China for thousands of years. And it’s just a shame that, what this is showing to me is today is [that] China is not the same as the old China.”
Shen Yun is based in New York and, since its inception in 2006, has been dedicated to reviving 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture and civilization.
“It would have been nice if the best of the old world was celebrated today. It'd be nice if it was revived,” said Mr. Rieckhoff, who saw the performance at Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts opening night on Feb. 7.
Shen Yun’s artists are trained in classical Chinese dance, a dance form with thousands of years of history. Classical Chinese dance stresses bearing, form, and technique. With these three components mastered, Shen Yun’s artists are able to portray any role and emotion with grace, as its website explains.
“I didn’t really know what to expect. All the dance I see normally is relatively modern, but you actually see no culture. [Shen Yun] goes back thousands of years,” said Mr. Rieckhoff.
Shen Yun tells stories of ancient China through dance and music. The tales can vary from brave generals who saved a dynasty or the mischievous Monkey King accompanying a monk on a journey.
“What I really liked most about the show was just seeing the different stories, whether it’s modern or historical. It’s really fascinating. And then the colors and the way they transition was just pleasantly surprising. I just didn’t really know what to expect and this was just great,” said Mr. Rieckhoff.
As someone who is familiar with the censorship in China, Mr. Rieckhoff complimented Shen Yun on utilizing its freedom to bring awareness to what is happening in modern China.
“To see it from a broader perspective here in Reno of all places, this is not what I would expect,” he said.
“It was pleasant because I didn’t know if it was going to be totally traditional. I’ve seen censored shows before, so to actually see something that’s not censored, it’s a freedom of expression. And I don’t think people realize that there’s so much culture. Chinese culture is extremely broad,” he said.
Reporting by Mary Mann and Maria Han.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
