OKLAHOMA CITY—On Christmas Eve, Shen Yun Performing Arts brought the vibrant traditions and artistic creativity of traditional Chinese culture to a full house at Oklahoma City’s Civic Center Music Hall.
After seeing Shen Yun, Diane Tucker, a small business owner, said, “It’s magic!” Her husband, Ron Tucker, shared her sentiments, saying, “It’s just beautiful—it really is.”
The New York-based performing arts company seeks to revive 5,000 years of Chinese civilization through an artistic performance combining majestic dancing, a live orchestra, an animated backdrop, and vibrant costumes. By seamlessly harmonizing these various elements, Shen Yun transports audience members back in time and space, on a journey through China’s many dynasties and ethnic groups, as their website states. The performance brought visual wonder, and also tears, to many audience members’ eyes.
Mary Peters Scannell, a stunt woman of 40 years, knew exactly how much heart and effort Shen Yun performers must have dedicated to mastering their craft. Highly experienced in the movie-making field, she doubled for stars like Sigourney Weaver and Lindsay Wagner, in major films like “Knight Rider,” “Independence Day,” and “Lethal Weapon.”
“I recognize beauty and coordination, and I recognize people that are very spiritually into their jobs,” she said, in reference to the Shen Yun performers. She was not only impressed by their athletic abilities, but also appreciated their spirit. “They really shine spiritually,” she said.
‘It brought tears to my eyes’
Dana Trumps, a compliance officer in the investment industry, called Shen Yun, “A festival for your eyes.”
Ms. Trumps said she was dazzled from the very beginning. “When the lights came on for the first scene, it brought tears to my eyes,” she said.
Stunned by how gorgeous the performance was, she said she would be leaving Shen Yun with a “respect for all cultures—absolute respect.”
Her husband, Chad Trumps, a supply chain manager for Parker Drilling, praised the intricate choreography of Shen Yun. “The choreography is phenomenal—the motion of all the dancers in unison and harmony—beautiful.”
Amazed and Emotional
Although the Shen Yun performers were perfectly synchronized and uniform, they also brought their own individual emotions and expressions into the dancing. Lisa Dixon, a housewife who came with her husband Gregory Dixon, an IT senior analyst, said, “I’m amazed by the uniformity, but also by how the emotion came out of the uniformity.”
Mrs. Dixon connected deeply with the emotions the performers conveyed, and she said, “I was crying throughout the show.”
For her, the central message of Shen Yun was a “willingness to be open to the love that’s in the universe—the beauty that’s really in our world.”
Reporting by Amy Hu, Steve Xu, and Irene Luo
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.
