SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun Very Educational, Says Business Owner

Feb 07, 2014
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Shen Yun Very Educational, Says Business Owner
Mahaffey Theater at the Duke Energy Center for the Arts, St. Petersburg, Fla. (Mark Zou/Epoch Times)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.—Don McLaughlin, a local business owner specializing in selling jets, was enthralled with the Shen Yun Performing Arts performance he saw with his wife Sheila at the Mahaffey Theater on Wednesday evening.

“Very enjoyable, really spectacular,” Mr. McLaughlin said about Shen Yun.

He admired the physical ability of the dancers, who performed the demanding movements and flips of classical Chinese dance with tremendous skill.

According to the Shen Yun website, “Chinese dance is at the heart of what Shen Yun does. Known for its incredible flips and spins, and its gentle elegance, it is one of the most rigorous and expressive art forms in the world.”

Mr. McLaughlin also admired the music accompanying the dances, performed by the Shen Yun’s unique orchestra which combines traditional Chinese instruments with a classical Western instruments.

“The music is unique, and it’s tied to the show, and it really adds a lot of excitement to the show,” Mr. McLaughlin said.

Mrs. McLaughlin said she enjoyed the performance greatly as well.

“The costumes are absolutely fantastic, and the music is lovely. It’s very enjoyable to watch; you can tell that they worked very hard to do the show,” Mrs. McLaughlin said.

Shen Yun, which was founded by a group of leading classical Chinese artists, was formed with a mission to revive China’s divinely-inspired culture.

“Whether set in the past or in contemporary China, every dance embodies traditional Chinese values. Ideals of loyalty, filial piety, and veneration for the divine are cherished and celebrated,” states the Shen Yun website.

Mr. McLaughlin said those values presented by Shen Yun still have an important place in today’s world.

“[Shen Yun] reminds us of the past and the 5,000 years of China, and it shows us that those values are still a great value today,” Mr. McLaughlin said.

Mrs. McLaughlin also shared the themes she saw in the performance.

“I think that you can see the ability to get along, the ability to express [through] the art the differences in people, and it brings it together on the stage,” she said.

The performance, Mr. McLaughlin said, was very educational, and gave good insight into China.

“I'd says [Shen Yun] was stunning,” his wife added.

With reporting by Edie Bassen

New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org

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.