DALLAS—Many audience members at the Winspear Opera House on Saturday had seen Shen Yun Performing Arts in the Dallas area and have come back for their second or third year, but Bill and Cathy Sky have been looking forward to Shen Yun year after year for eight years now.
“We’ve been coming from the very beginning, when they were first in Richardson. We enjoy it every year; it’s my Christmas present,” said Mr. Sky, owner of a dental clinic. “We’ve recommended it to a lot of our patients.”
New York-based Shen Yun puts on an all-new performance each year, reviving 5,000 years of Chinese civilization through music and dance.
Having seen every year’s performance, the couple noted some of the different dances they had seen. Mrs. Sky was excited to see a dance using drums this year—in a different way than drums had been used in the past. This year, male dancers played thunderous drums on a Tang Dynasty battlefield in Tang Imperial Drummers.
The scale of Shen Yun’s production is large; hundreds of costume pieces are used in every performance, and there are currently four internationally touring companies. The production boasts many unique aspects as well, such as the Shen Yun Orchestra, which combines traditional Chinese instruments with a full Western symphony.
“I loved the music. The quality of music was excellent,” Mr. Sky said.
Shen Yun’s vocal soloists, too, blend East and West in their music, singing original Chinese compositions in the bel canto style.
The couple noted that the most important part of Shen Yun’s performance was the revival of the divinely inspired culture that is not present in China under the current regime today. For instance, the traditional values and spirituality of the Chinese culture present in the meditation practice Falun Gong, which has been persecuted by the regime since 1999.
“We keep trying to tell people about this because they know nothing about it. They have no idea, no concept,” Mr. Sky said.
The couple appreciated Shen Yun’s work and artistry, and planned to return again.
The performance was also a treat for newcomers—Ms. Erica Diaz and her daughter had ordered tickets months ago to see Shen Yun for the first time, and eagerly waited for January 4 to come.
“I had a little brochure, and I put it on a stand in my room, and every day since the state fair, I’ve been looking at it like—Oh, I can’t wait!” Ms. Diaz’s daughter said.
“During the performance I actually whispered to my mom—‘Mama, I want this to last forever, I never want this to end,’” she said. “It was just amazing. Magical, wonderful choreography.”
Ms. Diaz said she loved the performance, which had surpassed any expectations she had had.
Reporting by NTD Television, Amy Hu, and Catherine Yang
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.
