DALLAS—Chander and Iva Mishra had wished to see Shen Yun Performing Arts, but year after year they missed their chance after the performances were already sold out.
The couple finally saw the performance at the Winspear Opera House in Dallas, Jan. 4, and they felt a sense of serenity from the New York-based Shen Yun.
“I felt a sort of serene calmness,” said Mrs. Mishra.
“It was excellent,” added Mr. Mishra, a director at NorthStar. Mr. Mishra said the music, dance, choreography, and everything he could see and hear, came together to preserve a culture, and he felt goodness in Shen Yun’s mission.
Shen Yun revives 5,000 years of Chinese civilization, which is said to be divinely inspired. Under years of atheist communist rule, however, the culture and art that Shen Yun brings to the stage were nearly lost.
“Anytime you preserve culture it’s good,” Mr. Mishra said.
Mr. Mishra also noted that through Shen Yun’s display of classical Chinese dance, ancient legends, and music, he saw it “teaching people compassion and truth, and preserving what they believe in.”
“That’s a good thing,” he added.
Relaxing and Exhilarating
Also seeing Shen Yun for the first time was Earl and Gilda McKoon, along with Catalina Hernandez.
Ms. Hernandez has long been interested in Chinese culture, studying it and filling her house with Chinese art.
She said she enjoyed watching Shen Yun’s revival of the culture as, at 79 years old, she was alive when the communist regime in China began to destroy it.
“But a lot of the young people don’t know,” Ms. Hernandez said. “I think it’s wonderful that they’re showing the history of things. That’s very important for all of us.”
The importance of cultural identity is wonderful, Ms. Hernandez added, and she was glad that Shen Yun allows people to be proud of their heritage.
Mrs. McKoon grew up seeing programs on Chinese history as well, and enjoyed seeing classical Chinese dance in person because it comes from a “beautiful, beautiful culture,” she said.
For Mr. McKoon, learning about the culture was an entirely new experience that he really appreciated.
“I found it relaxing and exhilarating at the same time,” Mr. McKoon said. “It’s just wonderful.”
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.
