“It was an outstanding show. I’ve ... had the opportunity to develop a deep sense of Chinese culture and history. This show really blends the old and the new in a perfect manner. It’s really touching. It’s emotionalizing, it’s stunning. It’s amazing. Go and see it!”
“[The dancers] were spectacular. I love classical ballet, European ballet mostly. And I find the dancers are amazing because they blend traditional ballet and Chinese classical dance in the most amazing manner. I found them spectacular, each one of them, the whole company.”
“It’s the acrobatic elements that I find absolutely amazing. And I’ve learned through the moderator that this is not meant to be acrobatic but an integral part of ancient Chinese dancing culture, so this was amazing. I didn’t know Chinese dance is just unique and stunning.”
“[The orchestra is] very nice. Here again the blend of classic elements with the wonderful Chinese sounds, and ancient instruments. The two strings (erhu) has a wonderful sound; it goes right to the heart. It’s fantastic."
“[The erhu] sounds very romantic, melancholic, as I said it goes right to the heart. It’s a relatively simple instrument, being played the way it is. It’s very skillful.”
“I was impressed by the soprano. It was not the classic opera voice, but here again it has a touch of classical opera and at the same time, it was very uniquely Chinese. Wonderful, powerful.”
“The lyrics were very philosophical, very high spirited, very insightful, spiritual almost, blended nicely with the music.”
“[The performance was] uplifting, and humbling. Human beings, as we are worried about the next text message, text message, and here we are confronted with culture that is 5,000 years old, you know, that’s very, very touching.”
“It provided a very deep insight into the Chinese culture, it’s a very rich culture, that expresses itself in various forms, subtle forms, but also very powerful form — a wide range of forms of expressing it. That’s what I take with me. I’ve known China very, very well, but this show just added another dimension of my understanding.”
“I enjoyed the entire show from the first moment to the last one. It’s a show you return to.”
“I deeply enjoyed it. It was enriching. I thank the company deeply for this experience.”
(Do you think Shen Yun is beneficial to society?) “I very much think so. Because in the Western world, we are focused on today, now, maybe tomorrow, but we have lost some sense of the richness of ancient cultures. Those people who attend Shen Yun develop an understanding of what culture is really about.”
