BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts’ appearance at the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex (BJCC) Concert Hall on Feb. 1, left Ann Easterling deep in thought.
Ms. Easterling, a civic volunteer for many years, sits on various boards for organizations like the Birmingham Music Club, which has brought world-class performances to Birmingham. And though the music club was founded over a hundred years ago, and she has seen a number of fascinating shows, Shen Yun held her in awe.
She was captivated by the variety of the dancing, the music, handmade costuming and digital backdrops, trademarks of the world’s foremost classical Chinese dance and music company.
“Classical Chinese dance is richly expressive. Hundreds of specific postures, expressions, and techniques, combined with China’s deep cultural traditions, make it a vast and independent system of dance,” according to Shen Yun’s website. “Shen Yun’s dancers are therefore able to depict scenes from any time period and setting.”
Ms. Easterling was particularly fascinated by the animated characters that descended from the backdrop screen and disappeared precisely as the dancers appeared on the stage, and then seamlessly disappeared off the stage reappearing on the screen again—just like magic.
“Once the figure came over the screens, then I understood its workings. And it’s just the dance; the integration of the dance is so fascinating.”
Watching the Shen Yun performance also made her realize the value of freedom in America and appreciate that she was free to practice her spiritual belief and enjoy her culture in all its forms.
“In America, we believe that we should have the freedom to express who we are culturally … whether it is in dance, or music, or in the arts, in any aspect of the art. That’s why I think this is so special and important, that we be given the freedom that this country affords. That includes our culture identity. I think that’s important. The performance is just beautiful.”
Physician and Dancer Both Agree Shen Yun is Beautiful
Physician David Aizenman and his companion, dancer Teri Aizenman, said they had never seen anything like Shen Yun before.
“It was beautiful, it was very beautiful, different from anything we’ve seen before, the costumes, and the choreography was brilliant, we love it,” said Ms. Aizenman.
Dr. Aizenman added, “The creativity, the flow is beautiful very enjoyable. The stories, just the fact that they’re free to do that here, but cannot do that at home.”
In addition to ancient legends and myths, Shen Yun presents stories from contemporary China. One such piece depicts the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in mainland China. Falun Gong, a traditional meditation practice based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion and forbearance has been brutally persecuted by the Chinese regime for over a decade.
Ms. Aizenman shared the same views and expressed surprise.
“I had heard that they’re not allow to perform in China, but I didn’t realize the extent. I didn’t realize they were based in New York.”
But, despite the oppression, they both had an enjoyable evening and hoped to see the performance again.
Shen Yun was founded in 2006 and very year since, Shen Yun has brought a brand new performance.
With reporting by Zhe Lin and Raiatea Tahana-Reese
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.
