NEW YORK—Authentic Chinese, made in America. This tagline for Shen Yun Performing Arts is an apt depiction of the classical Chinese dance, music, and song presented on stage by the New York-based company.
“Classical Chinese dance is a culture left to us by the ancients who came before us,” says Shen Yun’s website. “Its beauty should be riches shared by all of humanity.”
Chinese people tend to treasure the performance; knowing it is something they cannot experience inside modern-day China. Western audience members feel they have taken a journey into a deep part of history that connects with them on levels sometimes unexplainable.
Mr. Guo, a trade official from China, said Shen Yun was perfect. “I’m very happy in my heart to come and see Shen Yun here today,” he said after watching opening night at Lincoln Center in New York on April 18.
“The music, backgrounds, and especially the traditional, classical Chinese dance in this performance, do not exist in the whole of China. It is not possible to see such genuine, classical and traditional Chinese arts,” he said.
Mr. Guo first came to the United States in February. He was in Miami, missed the performance in Florida, returned to China, waited two months, and flew to New York last week to see Shen Yun.
“This is the first time in my life to see this most beautiful and pure Chinese performance, it has given me some enlightenment and taught me a lot,” he said.
“In Mainland China, because the Internet is blocked, and in the media you cannot see information [about this kind of thing], it is not representative, and there is no one doing this kind of thing.”
Shen Yun’s mission is to revive the 5,000-year-old, divinely inspired culture of China. Unfortunately, over the past 60 years, this cultural treasure has been persecuted and co-opted by the Chinese Communist Party, says the company’s website. “It is outside of China that Shen Yun’s artistic creators have the ability to freely express themselves and their ancient culture. Their courage to speak up is an integral part of Shen Yun’s spirit.”
