ATLANTA—Shen Yun Performing Arts wowed audiences for a second day at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta on Saturday Jan. 3. Nils Simonsen, CEO of a manufacturing company, who saw the matinee performance, said he was attracted to the performance because of Shen Yun’s cultural aspect.
The New York-based classical Chinese dance and music company has a mission to revive China’s divinely inspired culture.
“It is kind of a history lesson in a way,” Mr. Simonsen said of the performance.
He commented that the Shen Yun dancers are very vibrant, yet rooted in China’s traditional culture. “They exude a traditional, … slightly conservative demeanor,” he said. “There is a lot of enthusiasm among the dancers. … I like the stories … that are given behind the traditional dancing.”
“In less than ten minutes each, Shen Yun dances recount ancient myths, bygone heroes, or celestial paradises,” the Shen Yun website states. “Whether set in the past or in contemporary China, every dance embodies traditional Chinese values.”
“[The performance] is energetic. … It keeps the attendee occupied, and there are a lot of movements on stage,” Mr. Simonsen said. “The flow is very consistent from dance to dance, and I think that is probably a benefit for different generations that are here watching this.”
As the Shen Yun website puts it, “Classical Chinese dance is a culture left to us by the ancients who came before us, its beauty should be riches shared by all of humanity, its purity should not be contaminated. Shen Yun Performing Arts’ dance style is built upon classical Chinese dance as a foundation, while also maintaining a number of ethnic and folk dances.”
Shen Yun brings its performances to audiences around the world each year but is currently not able to perform in China. Mr. Simonsen, who has traveled to China, found it fortunate that Americans are able to see Shen Yun’s portrayal of Chinese traditional culture and arts in the United States.
Mr. Simonsen said he learned “from the cultural part, traditional dancing, which is not something that I was able to see when I was over in China.”
“It is local and brought here to the shores of the U.S., so it is certainly a benefit to have it here in the United States, and have a company that is out of New York,” Mr. Simonsen added.
Reporting by Sally Sun
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
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.
