SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun ‘A Good Reminder of the History That Is Being Censored’: Company President

Dec 27, 2022

SAN JOSE, Calif.—Christmas is a day to remember and celebrate a miraculous birth. Shen Yun Performing Arts is also reminding audience members of the power of the divine and that goodness prevails.

“Faith is very powerful, and … it’s worth dying for if you believe in something very strong,” said Jesus Garcia, president of a Silicon Valley company, after seeing a performance at the Center for the Performing Arts on Dec. 26.

Mr. Garcia was referring to a dance that tells the true story of a brave group of believers in Falun Dafa who stood up for their faith despite facing persecution.

Falun Dafa is a spiritual practice that was introduced to the public in China in the early 1990s. The practice teaches the principles of truth, compassion, and forbearance. In 1999, the immense popularity of the practice made the head of the Communist Party of China feel uneasy and he demanded a crackdown on the peaceful practice.

“The whole purpose of that was a good reminder of the history that is being censored and so it’s nice that the history isn’t being hidden,” said Mr. Garcia. “It’s a different angle, it’s very sad in a way, but it’s a beautiful and powerful mission to do what Shen Yun is doing here.”

Shen Yun is based in New York and it uses classical Chinese dance to tell stories of brilliant generals, wise sages, and the modern day bravery as in the story that so moved Mr. Garcia.

“There’s a lot of history and education that I was sort of familiar with, but not fully aware of,” said Mr. Garcia.

With 5,000 years of Chinese history and culture, there are unlimited sources for Shen Yun to draw upon. Shen Yun, the world’s top classical Chinese dance company, puts on an all-new production every year.

“There’s a group of people that won’t let the heritage just go away, that’s what I learned, and it’s a very beautiful culture,” Mr. Garcia said.

Shen Yun owns its very own patent on its digital backdrop that gives the impression of characters on stage suddenly flying in the sky or diving deep into the sea.

“Unbelievable. Amazing, breathtaking, eloquently executed, well-rehearsed, the show, the orchestra, the dancers, the designers of everything, and even the backdrop … I’m still trying to figure out how they coordinated it,” said Mr. Garcia.

Also in the audience was Karin Bootsma, a senior vice president of marketing.

Shen Yun is dedicated to reviving China’s 5,000 years of culture, and Ms. Bootsma shared her thoughts on preserving culture.

“I think it’s really important to give people an appreciation of what the foundations of the cultures are and what’s built upon the current culture. It’s really great that you are raising awareness and bringing it to such a broad audience,” she said.

Ms. Bootsma also shared her appreciation for Shen Yun’s artists.

“I hope they know how much they are inspiring the viewers through dance and through the artistry and through the visuals that they are putting in front of us. So I really applaud them and hope they keep up such phenomenal performances.”

As a part of the Christmas celebration, seeing Shen Yun was a gift that Ms. Bootsma gave to her family from out of state.

“It’s our gift to them, because this is something that they’re not able to see anywhere else. So this is a very special part of the Christmas celebration to us.”

Reporting by Sunny Chen and Maria Han.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.