SEATTLE—The past weekend, Shen Yun Performing Arts graced Seattle with its presence for the tenth year. Celebrating a decade of bringing traditional Chinese culture to the world, New York-based Shen Yun performed to five sold-out performances April 8–10. The art promises to uplift and inspire, and people from all walks of life said it did just that.
Mr. Nicholas Jurus, a screenwriter, said the performance imparted to him a unique sense of returning to a long-lost land.
“If you imagine when you’re away from home, and you have this feeling of wanting to be back home, and you know what home is. It touches you in your heart and your soul, and you long to be there,” he said. “That’s the feeling that I have.”
“Beautiful story, absolutely beautiful,” he said. “I felt the depth of the story was ‘hope’ for all of us. I feel that was the greatest message.”
Sense of Wonder
With its highly skilled dancers, Shen Yun is the world’s foremost leader in classical Chinese dance, an art form that’s been tempered for thousands of years—and at the heart of what Shen Yun does.
Through the dance and the immersion of a state-of-the-art digital backdrop, the stage extends, “transporting the audience to a world where heaven and earth are one,” according the Shen Yun’s website.
For Ms. Liane Olsan, the sheer harmony was “just magical.”
“It was just a wonderful experience,” Ms. Olsan said. “It is the kind of thing I'd like to take my grandchildren to see and share with people.”
Ms. Charlcia Fendell had been looking forward to Shen Yun, but did not know what to expect.
“It’s been really marvelous,” said Ms. Fendell, an early education specialist from Yakima, Wash. “Almost brings you to tears at times.”
Marilyn Johnson, a former opera singer now learning ballet, was also moved by Shen Yun’s Performance.
“I loved it, it was really enjoyable. It was exciting, I teared up a little bit,” Ms. Johnson said. “I’ve never had such a combination of the visual and the musical together, ever before. Every different dance told a different story and it took you to a different place and it was just amazing in that regard.”
Divine Culture
“For 5,000 years divine culture flourished in the land of China,” reads Shen Yun’s website. “Humanity’s treasure was nearly lost, but through breathtaking music and dance, Shen Yun is bringing back this glorious culture.”
The idea of divine culture piqued Mr. John Pritchett’s interest. Mr. Pritchett, a general contractor, said Shen Yun’s focused messages of divinity, deep values of faith, and determination, struck profound chords within him.
“And so that was depicted, and it helped to fortify and strengthen my core values that I already hold,” he said. “It was just amazing. I’ve never seen a performance like this.”
Michele Rousseau said, “I wish the people in China could see this. They'd be proud.”
Ms. Rousseau attended the performance with Anita Carlson, a real estate agent. Ms. Carlson agreed that the deplorable state of China today goes too unnoticed: “There’s oppression that needs to be acknowledged.”
Judy and Nikita Dolmatoff said they couldn’t wait to see Shen Yun Performing Arts. In fact, they'd bought two pairs of tickets so they could see the performance twice. According to Mrs. Dolmatoff, “We had a lot of faith that it was going to be good.”
The couple agreed they had made the right decision. After seeing Shen Yun at Marion Oliver McCaw Hall first on Friday, April 8, and again on Sunday, they walked away feeling enriched and awed.
For Mr. Dolmatoff, the finest features of Chinese heritage and arts presented in Shen Yun really stood out.
“I think that’s special. Especially the artistic presentation, the aesthetics of Chinese culture,” he said. “Very nice.”
Shen Yun embodies the idea that ancient Chinese culture is divinely imparted. In fact, China was once referred to as “The Divine Land.” According to Shen Yun’s website, “This profound name describes a land where deities and mortals coexisted, and a belief that the divine transmitted a rich culture to the people of the earth.”
In the end, Mr. and Mrs. Dolmatoff felt that their trip to Seattle from Port Angeles, Washington, was well worth two nights of exquisite entertainment as Shen Yun came to a close in Seattle for 2016.
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.
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.
