“I absolutely love it. Coming from an artistic background myself, ... this is one of the top I’ve ever seen—the colours, the vibrancy, the storytelling itself, just really well choreographed.”

“I’ve been an artist for 25 years, I’ve created many shows from my own culture. You look at the caliber of dance, you look at the messages, you look at the colours of the costumes, composition, along with the visual effects, my goodness, even the poetry that goes along with it, various different [aspects] bringing it all together.”

“It was nice .... to reflect back and tell the stories, whether [the performance shows] the traditions in that area, or the history itself, what is going on, what has gone on back in 1999, to tell stories like that, through song and dance, it’s so beautiful. It makes such an impact for all generations, and it breaks down some of the barriers for other cultures as well.”

“The fact that [Shen Yun’s founder] wants to bring this type of talent and tell the true stories through song and dance, that’s a true artist. He is breaking a lot of barriers by doing that. We know the hesitation back home [in China]. The fact that we cannot see a play like this back in China, to me, is disappointing. 

“We need to break away from all of that, ... empower people, really let people think about what’s going on and stand up for what is right. When it comes to art, there are no boundaries and nobody should impose his boundaries. There is no language, therefore this type of effort and kind of show speaks to the heart of all.”

“[Chinese] culture has a lot of wonderful things to offer, and it’s beautiful. ... I’m a strong advocate when it comes to sharing our rich culture, values, traditions. ... I think that that kind of sharing, that kind of loving, is a wonderful way for us to live together as humanity.”

“The main thing that I get from here or that I would like to pass on is that ... those values are there for all of humanity, and for all of humanity to excel we need to grasp those values and traditions, because those are all basic fundamentals of survival.”