SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Mother and Daughter Thoroughly Enjoy All Aspects of Shen Yun

May 03, 2015
SHARE
Mother and Daughter Thoroughly Enjoy All Aspects of Shen Yun
Barbara Rheney with her daughter Lauren at the Shen Yun performance at the Peace Center for the Performing Arts in Greenville, South Carolina. (Epoch Times)

GREENVILLE, S.C.—Barbara Rheney, a manager at a local law office, and her daughter, Lauren, attended the Shen Yun performance at the Peace Center for the Performing Arts in Greenville, South Carolina on May 1. They thoroughly enjoyed all that the grand performance had to offer.

Ms. Rheney was particularly impressed with the backdrop and the high skills of the dancers.

“I thought it was incredible, the use of the backdrop, and how they integrated the film into the live action. I thought that was really neat! The skill of the dancers was incredible,” she said.

As someone who grew up in a musical family and plays several musical instruments, Ms. Rheney’s attention was caught by the erhu, the Chinese two-stringed instrument often referred to as the Chinese violin.

“That was fascinating. I grew up in a musical family … so, it was interesting. I enjoyed that.”

“I just thought it was very interesting. And she was extremely talented, I thought, with the use of the bow. With just a smooth sound, to a more upbeat, bouncy, type sound, I thought it was really interesting. I liked the whole thing. I thought it was really neat,” she said.

The Shen Yun orchestra combines classical Western musical instruments with traditional Chinese instruments to produce a unique sound that has moved audiences around the world.

Lauren, a middle school student, thought the Shen Yun performance was amazing.

“They had such amazing costumes, and it was just really pretty to watch.”

“They [the dancers] were really good, and the symphony [orchestra], was really good because it matched the tone of what they were dancing to. I really liked that,” she said.

Lauren also found deep meaning in the stories portrayed in the Shen Yun numbers. She said “it showed how to be confident with what you believe in, and how to stay true to what you believe in.”

Her mom agreed.

“I couldn’t say it any better than that,” she said.

Shen Yun Performing Arts is the world’s premier Chinese dance and music company. Its mission is to bring to life 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture on stage through classical Chinese dance and music.

Energy Healer Senses Strong Energy From Shen Yun Performance

Tonhu Tram is an energy healer who attended the Shen Yun performance at Peace Center on May 2.

Ms. Tram is originally from Vietnam and has been sensitive to energy her whole life. She says she studies and does a lot of energy healing and related work. She also does meditation and has a spiritual background.

She said she was touched by the Shen Yun number The Divine Renaissance Begins where the Buddha comes out to save people from impending disaster.

“Oh yea, that whole scene is like touch my heart. And it is something really special, [it] just really touched me,” she said.

To Ms. Tram, the Shen Yun performance had a spiritual feeling for her. She was surprised by the energy she sensed, especially when watching the number The Power of Compassion.

“But it is very interesting when I feel the first performance of the Falun Dafa dance, you now, the one with the Buddhas showing.”

“I actually feel a huge [sensation] of energy. So I am like, where [is] the energy coming from?” she said.

As well as ancient legends, Shen Yun portrays contemporary tales of courage. Ms. Tram was interested about one piece where practitioners of Falun Dafa—a traditional meditation practice—demonstrate compassion when faced with persecution, since she is somewhat familiar with the practice of Falun Dafa.

“I have been to the Falun Dafa website, and I listened to the lectures ... but I haven’t really started the practice,” she said.

Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) is a traditional Chinese spiritual practice consisting of moral teachings, meditation, and four gentle exercises. It’s core principles are truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance.

“And so, maybe I should go back and start,” she said.

Reporting by Maggie, Xiao Xu and Thai Ton
 

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

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