“It was captivating. There was so much color and dance and choreography. The athleticism—I can’t imagine the amount of training that goes into it. It was amazing,” Mr. Roach said.
“With each performance that went on, I found myself getting more and more excited about what the next dance is going to be, what the story is, and what was I going to learn about the history of China. It was a great experience throughout. I was sad when it was over. [Time] flew by,” she said.
“It took my breath away. The kind of message that was
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFq0v9fBbn4[/epoch_video]
“When it came to elements of faith, [Shen Yun performers] very much wore their hearts on their sleeves. That’s an uncommon thing to see anymore but something I very much appreciate. It’s refreshing.”
Mr. Roach thought it was important for people to see Shen Yun because nowadays though it’s easy for Americans to simply say that they oppose communism, “if you don’t see it with your own two eyes, it’s very easy to write it off.”
“I think in a performance like [Shen Yun] where so much care is put into how [communism] is portrayed and the suffering that people have endured, it helps people to really understand. It’s more than just reading something in a book or seeing a news piece,” Mr. Roach said.
“You’re seeing a kind of legacy. All the performers are of Chinese descent, so for them, it’s very much personal and that comes across.”
Dr. Elisa Stephens, third-generation president of the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, was also in the audience on the afternoon of Jan. 16. Under her leadership, the school established by her grandfather was expanded into the largest private accredited art and design school in the nation.
In her travels, Dr. Stephens has seen firsthand all the diverse regions of China. “I’ve been to all the places that I saw [in the performance] today. But you can always learn, and I learned [more today] through beautiful dance and expression.”
“[Shen Yun] has exceeded my expectations. The performance was not only beautiful, it was exciting, high energy, and [delivered with] beautiful technical skills,” she said.
Referring to Shen Yun’s innovative backdrop projections Dr. Stephens said, “it was fabulous. It’s always a pleasure to see technology combined with traditional dance. That’s magical.”
Dr. Stephens was also touched by Shen Yun’s mission to revive traditional Chinese culture and thought the themes depicted in the performance were “extremely current.”
“We always need to remember our past. It’s important that countries don’t lose sight of that and don’t allow their government to suppress it.”
