SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

The Traditional Values Shen Yun Presented Are Very, Very Important, Says Company VP

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The Traditional Values Shen Yun Presented Are Very, Very Important, Says Company VP
Michael Murad (L) with his guests at Shen Yun's evening performance at The Monument on April 17, 2024. Yeawen Hung/The Epoch Times

RAPID CITY, S.D.—Company executive Michael Murad attended Shen Yun Performing Arts for the first time on April 17 at The Monument.

He thought the show was “a very good, beautiful mixture of the old and the new, with the technology and the multimedia but also the classical dance and traditional Chinese culture.”

“I enjoyed the show very much. I’m glad that they came to Rapid City and it’s wonderful having them here. I loved it,” he said, adding that he especially adored the piece where the dancers’ long sleeves billowed and flowed like the gentle movement of water on stage.

According to the company’s website, these sleeves were a part of ancient Chinese feminine attire representing humility and grace.

The world’s leading classical Chinese dance and music company, Shen Yun Performing Arts, was founded in 2006 by a group of leading Chinese artists who had fled the persecution of the communist party.
Prior to the regime’s violent takeover and the rampant spread of atheism, China was known as the Celestial Empire—a country deeply rooted in spirituality and the belief in the divine.

For 5,000 years, the teachings of Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism were indelible parts of Chinese people’s everyday lives.

Since Shen Yun’s establishment, the New York-based artists have made it their mission to bring back the glory of China’s lost civilization.

This aspect of the performance deeply moved Mr. Murad and he thought the three traditional values introduced by the dancers—truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance were “very, very important.”

“I think the spiritual [idea] of coming from heaven and going back to heaven is a very good message. If that’s traditional culture, I’m all for it.”

However, Shen Yun is currently forbidden by the Chinese Communist Party from performing in China.

Upon learning that and the ongoing human rights issues in present-day China, Mr. Murad said, “It’s very troubling to see.” He applauds Shen Yun’s effort to bring awareness to the situation.

“It’s not surprising because I’ve heard it from other sources, but it’s very unfortunate, very troubling. It’s good to get the word out about that so people can somehow help in some way.”

He thought the whole performance was “very positive” and “very engaging.”

“I think the emphasis is on traditions that are thousands of years old; they’ve survived all these different dynasties, so they’ll survive what is happening right now, too. [The show] came out very hopeful.”
Reporting by  Yeawen Hung and Jennifer Tseng.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
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