NEW YORK CITY—Actress Kimberly Magness experienced Shen Yun Performing Arts for the first time at the David H. Koch Theater on April 4. The performance turned out to be everything she had hoped for.
“It is so amazing. The honor and the celebration of Chinese culture is so beautiful,” she said. “The costume design, the backgrounds, the digital art, the dancers, the storytelling—everything about it was so phenomenal. It’s such a different experience.”
Founded in 2006 by elite Chinese artists who fled persecution, the New York-based Shen Yun is dedicated to reviving the beauty and virtues of China before communism. Its performance takes the audience through China’s dynasties and legends, while also raising awareness for the ongoing human rights challenges in present-day China.
Ms. Magness was stunned by the dancers’ skill and talent. The name “Shen Yun” translates directly to “the beauty of divine being dancing.” She couldn’t agree more with this description.
“The dancers are top-of-the-line dancers. They don’t just dance, they do acrobatics too, and the costumes that go with it—the ribbons and the dresses that ebb and flow—everything about it is so beautiful,” she shared. “I absolutely loved it.”
Shen Yun “Is the perfect name for it because the dancers are divine. The costumes, the culture is divine, and the whole background screen, where the dancers pop out, I’ve never seen anything like that before in my life. It was so cool.”
The artists are masters of classical Chinese dance, an ancient and highly expressive art form dating back thousands of years. Unlike the modern, military-influenced styles often seen in China today, Shen Yun preserves and performs this tradition in its most authentic form, as it was originally passed down through generations.
However, due to the company’s commitment to raising awareness for the ongoing human rights issues in present-day China, it is currently banned from performing there.
“That is insane to me that they cannot perform in China,” Ms. Magness said, “because I think everyone should be able to see this and be exposed to this kind of celebration of Chinese culture. It’s so beautiful, why would you want to hide that from your people? I just think everyone, if they can, should try to come and see the show.”
The most memorable message Ms. Magness said she received from Shen Yun is about kindness and the importance of having faith in the divine.
“This performance can definitely teach you about kindness, that was the main theme that drew me in—be kind to everyone and celebrate everybody, and good will come back to you,” she shared.
“I thought that was really cool when the Creator came to salvation. It was such a beautiful moment with all the dancers, all the costumes, all the background. It just has such a beautiful message that I think everyone can follow.”
Upon learning that this year marks Shen Yun’s 20th anniversary, Ms. Magness said she is “so in awe of them.”
“I am so impressed with the performers. I cannot imagine the training they must go through. Also, the fact that Shen Yuan’s been around for 20 years and it has eight [companies] going on at the same time—to be able to conquer all of that, it has to be an amazing show. Truly,” she added.
“I got to learn a lot about a different culture and what it’s like for them, and I think it’s a beautiful thing.”
