ST. LOUIS—“I just came here to enjoy myself and that is what I’m doing; I’m enjoying it,” said former IBM advisory system engineer Don Schmidt after seeing Shen Yun at the Peabody Opera House on Feb 16.
Mr. Schmidt, now retired, was a 30-year veteran of the company. He worked his way up from the bottom enlisting three of his four sons along the way.
“I think I saw a little advertisement on TV and saw the dancing with all the coloring and I thought: I gotta see this because this is not an everyday thing ... This is a maybe once in a life time for us,” he said about his decision to attend.
Shen Yun Performing Arts is a New York-based company. Its mission is to revive traditional Chinese culture through classical Chinese dance.
The program combines classical Chinese dances and some Chinese folk dances, the sound of a full-orchestra featuring Eastern and Western instrumentation, handmade costumes, and interactive backdrops.
“I tell you, it is just so much to see. It’s unique,” Mr. Schmidt explained. “The dancing is superb. The way they do everything. You’re sitting there, and you’re trying to watch everything and thinking: ‘Am I missing anything?’”
“Its unique, and quite athletic and everything is just about what I expected. I would say it IS what I expected. It’s something different, and I was looking forward to it, and I’m not disappointed!” he exclaimed.
Mr. Schmidt said he would describe the performance as an “amazement! Yeah, it’s amazing how there are so many people on the stage and they are all just entwined and I don’t see anyone running into anybody. You know, that’s amazing.”
With reporting by Catherine Wen and Andrew Darin
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.
