ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.—After waiting over a decade to see Shen Yun Performing Arts, company founder and CEO Adam Arase and his family finally saw Shen Yun’s performance at the Duke Energy Center for the Arts–Mahaffey Theater on April 1.
“The show was amazing,” said Mr. Arase. “[The] athleticism and great storytelling with the music was really culturally stimulating.”
Based in New York, Shen Yun was founded in 2006 and is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company. Now with eight equally-sized companies touring the world simultaneously, Shen Yun’s mission is to revive traditional Chinese culture and to give its audiences a glimpse of pre-communist China.
“I don’t think we were prepared for the vivid colors in all the costumes and the choreography and the gracefulness of all of the performers,” said Mr. Arase. “What they’re doing is extremely difficult, and to do it with ease and grace just goes to show the years of dedication and skills.”
“She’s a master at her craft,” he said. “It’s great to see the tradition of music and instruments is still being kept alive, that people can perform it.”
“There’s an old saying: if you erase your past, you erase your identity. So, it should be thought of. They should be proud. China has been around 5,000 years, so they should be very proud of their history and their culture. Without it, it doesn’t help them to find who they are and who they will be. Hopefully, the new Chinese that come up in China will remember their culture, and look to find alternative paths to discovering their culture and history, if it’s not taught.”Mr. Arase also expressed his approval for the values he saw presented in Shen Yun’s performance.
Finally, Mr. Arase thanked the performers for their “hard work and dedication, and most importantly, for [their] skill and continued practice.”
“I thoroughly, and my family thoroughly enjoyed your performance, and I hope it inspires you to continue to strive to do your best.”
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
