CLEVELAND—Retired science teacher Louise Heydorn and husband Robert Heydorn, of the Hoover, Heydorn, and Hernstein Law Firm, attended Shen Yun and were amazed by the depictions of ancient Chinese history as well as the current situation in China.
New York-based Shen Yun brings 5,000 years of Chinese civilization to the world, through both music and dance: classically trained dancers, award-winning singers, and a full orchestra comprised of both Eastern and Western instruments.
“It was outstanding,” said Ms. Heydorn. “I was so amazed at the costuming, the history that we learned, and the fact that the performance could not be done in China. That’s sad.”
“The color was outstanding and the dancing was incredible” said Mr. Heydorn. He mentioned the difficult aerial flips and tumbling moves that impressed him. “Also, like the way that the ladies in classical Chinese fashion would never move while they were walking! I thought that was probably very hard to do.” [Manchurian Grace]
In addition to being impressed by the dancing, he enjoyed the history the mini-dance dramas told.
“I guess, finally, I love history, so that is one reason I would love this,” continued Mr. Heydorn. “I didn’t understand that part of this presentation demonstrated that there wasn’t freedom of thought in China. That impressed me, especially since we deal with China so much in the market place now; we tend to forget that they do have their own issues.”
Many who see Shen Yun are able to deeply relate to the stories, almost adding a sense of commonality for audience members. It was no exception for this couple.
“It impressed me that there is a considerable amount of beauty in the culture of China. Also, I’m very impressed about the fact that there seems to be a common experience, whether it be Eastern or Western culture that we call humanism. That really, if you had the ability to have freedom of thought in China, that you would probably go back to the same kind of thought pattern that we have and that’s kindness, love, that sort of thing.”
Additionally, audience members frequently comment on the spirituality of the performance.
“I did not know Chinese music and art had this much of a spiritual base,” Mr. Heydorn said.“That really was an eye opening thing for me.”
“I loved seeing the traditions and the themes of compassion, kindness, and love that we saw,” said Ms. Heydorn. “The spirituality: Fa and Dafa are new to me but certainly represent a spirituality that has transcended the ages.”
Reporting by Theresa You and Paul Darin
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.
