FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.—On Feb. 18, Vanessa Molina, an Argentinian ballet dancer turned realtor, attended Shen Yun Performing Arts’ second show at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. She and her family enjoyed a spectacular afternoon.
“The show is beautiful,” Ms. Molina said. “It highlights a lot of the culture—things that we didn’t even know, that we haven’t been able to explore, and it’s beautiful. It showcases a lot of things that are very, very beautiful.”
She also praised the live orchestra, which seamlessly blends classical Western orchestration with ancient Chinese melodies and instruments.
“The music transports you to the place,” Ms. Molina said. “It’s very soft, it’s intricate—I love that the live [orchestra] is beautiful. Very good.”
Based in New York, Shen Yun artists are highly trained in classical Chinese dance—an art form with a history spanning thousands of years, celebrated for its athleticism and expressive power. What many may not realize is that numerous tumbling techniques often associated with gymnastics and acrobatics actually originate from classical Chinese dance.
According to the company’s website, the classical Chinese dance seen in China today is heavily mixed with military and modern styles. Only at Shen Yun can the audience experience it in its purest form, preserved as it was passed down through generations.
Ms. Molina was awestruck by the performers’ skill and artistry. As a fellow dancer, she understands firsthand the amount of work required to achieve such precision.
“The visual is very beautiful—the colors, the movements—everything is so precise, the way they tell the story,” she said. “Their dancing—it’s something [that looks] very simple but with a lot of symbolism.”
“You can just tell it’s a lot of precision, a lot of work, a lot of training. It shows.”
Ms. Molina especially enjoyed how the artists used dance to bring legends from ancient China to life, as well as stories set in the present day.
“I think it’s amazing,” she said. “It’s very beautiful how they tell a story with their movements. I’m enjoying the show a lot.”
The most memorable one for her was the dance piece raising awareness about the communist regime’s ongoing persecution of people of faith in present-day China.
Spirituality once played a central role in ancient Chinese culture, where it was believed that the arts and moral values were divinely inspired and passed down to humanity. However, following the communist takeover in 1949, atheism has been promoted, and many traditional beliefs and practices have been nearly erased.
“The storylines are great. [They talk about] communist China, a lot of things that have gone through history, and things that are still going on right now,” Ms. Molina said.
“I think it’s very beautiful when you can express something that’s so powerful and something so painful for so many people in such a beautiful way,” she said. “It’s a story that has lived for so long. It’s hopefully evolving into peace, it’s ultimately what we all want.”
