LOS ANGELES—One way to measure the power of a Shen Yun performance is by the reaction of those in the audience who not only enjoy the show, but are seeing for a second time.
Enter retired California State University professor, Arnold Springer, who was so moved after seeing Shen Yun the first time, he returned for an encore performance—and paid for four of his friends to join him. “I said, ‘You have to see Shen Yun. You have to see it.’” said Springer, who saw it for the second time on April 23, 2016 in Los Angeles at the Microsoft Theatre.
So what did Springer, who taught history at Cal State, think of it the second time around? “Wonderful performance,” said Mr. Springer.
“Same beauty. Same clarity. Same courage. Same values and insight into what’s real. And hope. Very important message of hope that value the people who have courage and value, the people who have good values and morals and work for others.”
“Watch out for trying to hold on to everything because you’re going to pass and you better do good before you pass,” he said, speaking of some of the philosophical messages in the performance.
“It’s uplifting and I recommend it to everybody,” he said.
Perhaps the uplifting message Dr. Springer is referring to is the story that Shen Yun tells of the divine culture that once was the land of China, but has nearly disappeared over the last half-century of communist rule. China was once known as the Divine Land, featuring heroes, sages, dragons, phoenixes, emperors, and immortals.
Now, sadly, China is almost the only place in the world where you can’t see Shen Yun.
According to its website, Shen Yun is bringing back that 5,000-year-old culture through the universal language of dance and music.
The dancing in particular—classical Chinese dance—is what Shen Yun is really known for. It’s rigorous—with difficult aerial and tumbling techniques like flips, spins, and leaps—yet also richly expressive, which allows for storytelling through the dancers’ movements.
Meanwhile, the dancing is accompanied by Shen Yun’s unique orchestra, which blends both Eastern and Western music, together with animated backdrop to make one incredible performance that audiences everywhere have lauded—exactly like Dr. Springer.
“We love this,” said Dr. Springer.
Reporting by NTD Television and Dave Martin
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.
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.
