Perry Lemley, an operations manager, said, “It’s very traditional, and the colors and the movements are absolutely beautiful.”
“They were just so amazing,” business owner Sandy Knight said. “After seeing the previews online, I was just totally blown away in person. I just couldn’t believe how amazing they all were, what effort they had to have put into being able to do all that, and the story is just amazing behind it. The story that they’re trying to tell, that’s a really important part of the Chinese past, and I just feel like everybody should be represented that way, because they’re amazing people and they deserve so much better.”
Jillian Dykes, a physical therapist who attended with her mom, said, “I really enjoyed it. I got it for her, honestly, for her birthday. So we came here, and I’m happy she enjoyed it. It was really nice.”
“It was fabulous; the costumes, the makeup, the artistry. Everything was fabulous about it,” Hope Dykes, a school counselor, said.
Ms. Knight said, “What life in China was like before communism took over. I'll get emotional, but I’m just so happy and thrilled to see their performance and what they’re able to tell through their story, dance, and music. Their acting skills are incredible. I know they’re dancers, and it’s amazing the story that they’re able to tell through the music and dance.”
“The part where they talked about the Creator, about God—yes, very, very, very traditional,” Mr. Lemley said. “It is very unique, because it’s not something that is practiced a lot and is not celebrated. So it seemed to be celebrated there today. Very nice.”
Shen Yun has been touring the world since 2006 and has grown to eight companies. Based in New York, the company currently cannot perform in China due to the regime’s brutal persecution of faith.
Jason Nuss, a chief engineer, said, “You see that struggle going on. You definitely see the oppression coming out of China for other minorities, other cultures other than theirs. So it’s definitely a message that’s very relevant.”
“I really liked it. That was very interesting, how much awareness it brought to their religious persecution that’s going on right now, and how important that was. It was shocking. But I liked it because sometimes, stuff like that needs to be shocking in order to get traction in a larger media,” Ms. Dykes said.
Mr. Nuss said, “Thank you very much for this performance. It was awesome. And please keep doing what you’re doing, and keep passing this message along.”
“He’s an amazing director. That’s an amazing talent to be able to do an entire show like that, from beginning to end, and also to be able to come up with so many depictions over 20 years,” Ms. Knight said.
