LOUISVILLE, Ky.—In Shen Yun Performing Arts, the Dorseys saw how good would always persevere over evil.
It was not an easy feat, Mr. Carl Dorsey, a retired military police officer, could tell. He said he saw the struggle that the Chinese people have had to go through, as the traditional Chinese culture that had been passed down for 5,000 years was nearly destroyed when communism came into power in 1949. But struggle—what the atheist communist regime advocates, against man and against nature—was not the point and not what he wanted to see.
Shen Yun showed instead the success of perseverance and beauty of the traditional culture, Mr. Dorsey explained at the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts on Feb. 10.
The performance was one of revival, as New York-based Shen Yun artists brought the divinely inspired Chinese culture to life on stage.
“It was the heart that they would put into something and just their entire soul they ... put into their belief. And that touched me. It really did,” Mr. Dorsey said.
“Goodness will always overcome evil, always,” said Mrs. Dawn Dorsey.
Good versus evil is a theme in ancient Chinese belief, as is respect for the heavens, benevolence, justice, and loyalty, and other principles stemming from spiritual beliefs.
These principles are the heart of the authentic traditional culture, Shen Yun explains, and alive in the songs and stories Shen Yun presents on stage, and alive in the artists themselves as well.
They are principles that the Dorseys said they connected to.
Shen Yun brings this ancient culture back to life through classical Chinese dance—an expressive form passed down through the dynasties—and an orchestra blending East and West. The performance also includes solo bel canto vocalists, brilliant original costumes inspired by the dress of different eras and regions of China, and an animated digital backdrop.
The Dorseys spoke of the sheer beauty of the performance itself, shown in the rhythmic Mongolian ethnic dance, the songs, and a classical Chinese dance called “Fairies of the Sea,” just to name a few.
“I loved the way the colors blended in when the light hit it, it lit up the whole auditorium,” said Mr. Dorsey. “You could actually look at the sides and see it reflected on the walls. I just thought it was beautiful.”
Reporting by Charlie Lu and Catherine Yang
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.
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.
