“It was a real audio-visual treat. Spectacular performance, incredible movement and choreography, and a real sight to be seen, very impressed,” said Kaul, who experienced Shen Yun at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta, Georgia, on April 13.
The New York-based company is touring the world with the mission to bring back China’s 5,000 years of semi-divine culture and encourage audience members to reflect on themselves and the world around them, as Kaul did.“That was really seen very clearly in all the performances and the small stories that were told within each performance. So a real, real delight, a real joy to be part of this,” he added.
Shen Yun performances are made up of about 20 vignettes of traditional dancing, solo musicians, and stories. Many of these stories are drawn from history, literature, and legends that have been passed on for generations. Moreover, Shen Yun also showcases stories based in more modern times including pieces portraying today’s real-life human rights abuses in China.A common theme throughout these stories is spirituality, in particular, spiritual devotion, the benevolence of gods, good and evil retribution, and the search for the meaning of life. Such values are foundational to traditional Chinese culture and have guided the ancient Chinese for centuries.
Kaul said he could see these themes play out in many of the pieces and thinks that more people should see it for themselves.
“[The spirituality] came out throughout all of the performances very strongly, and I think that it’s messages like this that we need to disseminate amongst everyone,” he said. “The oneness of spirit amongst all of us, I think, really is something that we should all be amplifying.”
He added that Shen Yun’s message about the divinity is “the unifying force amongst all of us.”
“It was spectacularly displayed in all the performances that we saw today,” he said.
