SAN FRANCISCO—Shen Yun Performing Arts was “beautiful, absolutely beautiful,” said an enamored Anna Becky Redlich after seeing the company at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco on Jan. 11.
Redlich, a retired classical singer, especially connected with the opera singers that perform between sets of dances.
“I was very impressed,” she said, adding that “it was lovely.”
Shen Yun, based in New York, traverses the globe purveying the ancient Chinese culture, one that is rich with meaning but was nearly lost to mankind under decades of communist rule.
“Shen Yun is based in New York where its artistic creators are able to freely express themselves and revive their ancient Chinese culture,” says the group’s website. “Such artistic freedom is unfortunately not present in China under the communist regime, which has co-opted and destroyed traditional arts. The courage and outspokenness of our artists is one of the reasons why Shen Yun is so well-loved.”
Both Ms. Redlich and Franchesca Redlich, a student, mused about several of the pieces that depict the lack of freedom in China that still persists to this day.
“That’s unfortunate,” said Ms. Anna Redlich.
Ms. Franchesca Redlich appreciated the stories and legends from throughout the thousands of years of Chinese culture.
“I'd say that if I really took something away from the show, I’d say that there’s so many different cultures out there in the world that it’s nice to get to experience something different,” she said.
Ms. Anna Redlich was intrigued with the traditional Chinese dance, and how acrobatics and other techniques actually stem from the dance.
“It was beautiful,” she said. “We loved it.”
Reporting by Alex Ma and Zachary Stieber
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.
