ROSEMONT, Ill.—Tim Tyrell was an NFL running back from 1984 to 1989, during which time he played for the Atlanta, Falcons, the Los Angeles Rams, and the Pittsburgh Steelers. He attended Shen Yun Performing Arts World Company’s Evening performance on Feb. 14, 2020, with his girlfriend, Daiva Mazuolyt, and her daughter, and recognized the athleticism of the artists on stage.

“I was amazed at how flexible they are, and the choreography was amazing and the colors were awesome,” Tyrell said after seeing Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Rosemont Theatre.

Shen Yun is a New York-based company that has seven dance groups that tour the world simultaneously in the effort to fulfill its mission of restoring traditional Chinese culture through classical Chinese dance.

“Classical Chinese dance is at the heart of what Shen Yun does. Known for its incredible flips and spins, and its gentle elegance, it is one of the most rigorous and expressive art forms in the world,” the company’s website states. The form impressed Tyrell.

“There’s a lot of colors and a lot of—it was beautiful … absolutely beautiful. The costumes and the dance were unbelievable,” Tyrell said was his overall impression.

From an athlete’s perspective, watching some of the dance moves, he thought: “Man, they would be a good receiver!”

“So the athleticism was amazing, I was just thinking how tired they must be, and I just don’t know how those guys just stayed straight up and jumped up four times in a row and touching their hands to their–their feet to their hands. That’s just amazing,” he said.

“I think they made it look very simple,” Tyrell said of the performers’ energy. “They’ve got to be exhausted because of all the moves they were making … There was so much going on you know, so that was quite amazing.”

“It was just different and the colors were beautiful, and the set was beautiful, and it flowed very nicely. The colors were amazing, I just could never do any of that. Yes, it was cool,” he said.