LAS VEGAS—Bill Brady, Chairman of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, attended a sold out production of Shen Yun performing Arts New York Company with his wife, Cindy, at Reynolds Hall in The Smith Center for the Performing Arts, on Feb. 23.
Mr. Brady served three terms in the Nevada State Assembly from 1979-1985. He formerly ran multiple businesses, and has earned numerous accolades including “Citizen of the Year” in 2000 by Citizens for a Responsible Government, the “Quiet Hero” award in 2001 from Court Appointed Special Advocates, and he was the 2010 honoree of the Keystone Corporation.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Brady were touched by Sunday’s matinee performance.
“It’s just fabulous. I would say it’s a ’must see,'” said Mrs. Brady. “I can’t wait to see it again.”
“For me, it just taught me real appreciation [and] love for the Chinese people [and] their culture—the beauty of the whole thing. [It] really brought a fondness to my heart to be here,” said Mr. Brady.
Shen Yun is a non-profit, New York-based classical Chinese music and dance company that creates an all-new production each year and tours to 100 cities in 20 countries, reaching millions of people.
The mission of Shen Yun is to revive traditional Chinese culture which, according to Shen Yun’s website, was nearly decimated by the Chinese communist party.
Mr. and Mrs. Brady were asked by this reporter whether they believed Shen Yun was living up to its mission.
“Oh, yes. Oh, yes,” Mr. Brady immediately responded.
His wife then trailed his words: “Oh my gosh, yes.”
“It’s breathtaking. It’s just awesome,” she added.
The Shen Yun website explains the major features seen in each production: “A Shen Yun performance features the world’s foremost classically trained dancers, a unique orchestra blending East and West, and dazzling animated backdrops—together creating one spectacular performance.”
Through vignettes no longer than 10 minutes each and digital backdrops that create a context for each story, audiences are transported to distant parts of China to relive ancient legends, see the purity of ethnic and folk dances, and witness contemporary tales of courage.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Brady were impressed with the backdrops, especially how the dancers leapt from the stage and appeared on the screen in flight as animated characters, then back from the screen to the stage.
“I’ve never seen that before,” said Mr. Brady said. “[It] tells a story that we wouldn’t understand otherwise.”
“It makes the stage much bigger than it is,” noted Mrs. Brady.
The Shen Yun website explains that the backdrops are “magical windows to completely different realms” by “extending the stage and transporting the audience to a world where heaven and earth are one.”
Another aspect of Shen Yun about which Mr. and Mrs. Brady were delighted was the spirituality inherent in traditional Chinese culture.
Mr. Brady explained it as “beautiful and spiritual ... We need a softening of our [American] culture,” he said. “This brings back the beauty through dance and music.” (As the Nevada State Athletic Commission Chairman, Mr. Brady sees many boxing and Mixed Martial Arts events, and his commission ensures that fighters are drug-free and safe).
“I didn’t realize this part of China—that there was this spiritual [aspect],” Mrs. Brady said. “I didn’t realize the effects that communism has had on them. I hear things on the news, but I didn’t know the depth to what has been lost. And I just think [the performance is] just unbelievable. It’s very touching, very spiritually touching,” she said.
She was impressed to see the depth of Chinese culture and its spiritual beliefs—like the belief in a higher being—similar to Western beliefs. “I wasn’t anticipating that. It was a nice surprise.”
Mr. Brady was enchanted: “You can’t help but love the Chinese people and their culture and their music—their beauty.”
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.
