NEW YORK—This weekend, Shen Yun Performing Arts returned to the Lincoln Center to inspire, educate, and present 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture to New Yorkers.
People from all walks of life flooded the David H. Koch Theater on Sunday afternoon, Jan. 12, to see the world’s best classically trained dancers and musicians.
Ron Spitzer, Managing Director of Credit Agricole CIB, a french bank based in New York, thought Shen Yun was the perfect reintroduction of traditional Chinese culture to his daughter, who was adopted from China.
“I thought it was terrific, very colorful, very inventive,” Mr. Spitzer said.
His daughter Lily agreed that the night’s performance was educational.
“Shen Yun taught me a lot about China and the history,” she said.
Started in 2006, the company’s mission is to revive the traditions that were almost eradicated by the Chinese Communist regime during the Cultural Revolution that started in the 60s.
TV producer, Tera Morris, who also came to watch the show with her adopted Chinese daughter, Grace, agreed that they were fortunate to be American.
“The production was brilliant, I really love the production,” Ms. Morris said.
Not Allowed In China
Shen Yun highlights traditional Chinese values like justice, propriety, and respect for the heavens, which has put the company on the regime’s blacklist, forbidding it from performing in mainland China.
“For me, it’s important to expose my daughter to Chinese culture, so we were really blessed,” Ms. Morris said.
National sales director at Prescription Dynamics, Ryan Boyle, said he felt fortunate to see Shen Yun perform in the West.
“It was amazing to see all these performances come from China and around the world and to exhibit what they can’t display in their own country,” Mr. Boyle said.
“Traditional Chinese dance is amazing,” Mr. Boyle said.
Nancy Jane, creator of themed parties, has seen Shen Yun multiple times. An enthusiast of traditional Chinese culture, Ms. Jane keeps coming back for the inspiration and the unique experience.
“It’s stunning, the colors are amazing. Shen Yun has a great sense of color, architecture, dance, music. It’s just on a high level, it’s very special,” she said.
Ms. Jane admired the visual aspects, including the elaborate costumes, and the animated backdrops. But she also enjoyed the deeper meaning of the performance.
“Chinese people have good values,” she said.
“I tell my friends it’s something special and they have to go,” she said, “You don’t see anything like it here.”
Reporting by Hannah Cai, William Jin, and Kristina Skorbach
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.
