SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Attorney Finds Hope the Message in Shen Yun

Feb 16, 2014
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Attorney Finds Hope the Message in Shen Yun
Juanita McKee and her son, Mike McKee, enjoy Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Peabody Opera House, Feb. 16. (Stacey Tang/Epoch Times)

ST. LOUIS—For her 89th birthday, Juanita McKee received a very special present from her son Mike McKee, an attorney—an evening at the beautiful Peabody Opera House to see Shen Yun Performing Arts.

“Through the universal language of music and dance, Shen Yun weaves a wondrous tapestry of heavenly realms, ancient legends, and modern heroic tales,” according to the company’s website.

Shen Yun finished its run in St. Louis on Sunday afternoon, Feb. 16, and Mrs. McKee treasured her gift. “I loved the dancing,” she said.

Shen Yun presents two distinct kinds of dance: classical Chinese dance, with its expressiveness that allows story telling; and folk dance, from some of the more than 50 ethnicities in China.

In addition to enjoying the performance, Mr. McKee said he learned some history of different dynasties, and sees that Shen Yun is concerned about what the communist regime is doing in China.

He is referring to some of the dances that depict modern day China as ruled by the communist regime.

“I know what most U.S. citizens know about what China has been through the last 100 years. We hope that things improve,” said Mr. McKee, who has his own law office.

Since the Cultural Revolution, the Communist regime has undermined traditional arts and values in China.

“I think we all like the values of truth, compassion, and strength,” he said, speaking of some the ideals presented in the dances.

He also knows a little about Buddhism, the spiritual root of some of those values. “I’ve read a lot, and in fact, I have a Buddha in my back yard. We have three Buddha’s in our house,” he said.

“I think China has a very long spiritual history that we would do well to study much more here in the West,” he said.

He referred to a scholar who proposed that compassion was the center of every faith. “I think that came through the performance today, and I think it helps to spread that word to the American public.”

As to what Shen Yun offers the world: Hope, he said. “I think it offers hope because it is a very uplifting message that is given through each of the different performances. Truth wins out in the story, and I think that is what we all believe.”

Reporting by Stacey Tang and Sharon Kilarski

New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit Shen Yun Performing Arts.

The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time. We have proudly covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.