ST. LOUIS—“I think it’s about not the rush, rush part of life, but understanding the spiritual side of life,” said Terry Stieve of Shen Yun Performing Arts. The former NFL player attended the Peabody Opera House performance with his wife on Feb. 16.
“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.
At the heart of Shen Yun is classical Chinese dance, a comprehensive system developed over centuries. The dance is known for its expressiveness that allows for storytelling. Shen Yun uses this form of dance to share values that have been important to the Chinese since antiquity.
Now an executive vice president for Jones Lang LaSalle, a world-wide commercial realtor, Mr. Stieve was impressed with just how beautiful the dancing was.
“I was just fascinated at the athletic ability of the dancers and how pretty the costumes, and the colors, and the stories,” he said.
“I understood the stories because of what they said, you know, the introductions. So I didn’t feel like I didn’t know what was going on,” he said, referring to the bilingual emcees who introduced each dance.
But it was the lyrics to some of the songs that most struck him. Instrumental and vocal soloists are interspersed between the dances, and their lyrics are projected onto the large digital backdrop.
“I can’t remember the quote that I thought was beautiful,” he said. And, then after taking a stab to remember it: “‘He who thinks and does not study, and studies but does not think.’ I just loved that. I just love those type of things,” he said.
Of the performance in general, he said: “There is a kindness to it, and a softness to it, and a beauty to it.”
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.
