Selwyn Duke attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at The Palace Theatre on May 9, 2024. (Frank Liang/The Epoch Times)
STAMFORD, Conn—Shen Yun Performing Arts performed at the Palace Theatre on May 9 and was greeted by a receptive audience.
Selwyn Duke, a freelance journalist for many publications, said Shen Yun’s performance was very well done. “You can tell the dancers worked very hard at their craft. And I like some of the messages, too,” he said.
“I think a lot of people around here might not agree with it, but the message that is stated is that behind atheism and evolution lurks Satan.”
Mr. Duke’s mother said she wanted to enjoy a performance about traditional Chinese culture before communism. “It gives you some insight into Chinese culture. It’s very nice and traditional Chinese culture, as they say, prior to the advent of communism. That’s certainly what I want to see.”
As a writer, Mr. Duke took note of Shen Yun’s message. “I think they’re trying to transmit Chinese culture, like I said, traditional Chinese culture. That’s a good thing for sure.”
Chinese culture preserved a belief in the divine for centuries, and Mr. Duke approved. “I like the faith-oriented message that they had there. Certainly, I thought that was very good. I didn’t quite expect that, to be honest with you, especially in this day and age, because we live in very secular times, unfortunately,” he said.
“That’s good, certainly. I think people need to get back to God. When you see what’s going on in the world, and you have some philosophical understanding, you realize that it’s the result of straying from the path of virtue.”
Mr. Duke was on board with Shen Yun’s mission to revive traditional Chinese culture. “I think it’s very important because anything that serves to combat the forces of secularism and, of course, communism as part of that, is a very, very good thing because communism has destroyed a tremendous amount of tradition all over the world.
“Of course, in China, that’s a very, very good example. Mao Zedong tore down, I think, hundreds of miles of the Great Wall even. Unfortunately, people like that have no respect for tradition whatsoever.
“We saw it with the Taliban. I know they’re not both secular, but they also were blowing up Buddha statues. It’s the same kind of thing.”
Mr. Duke noted how the dancers’ movements express their ideas and messages. “I thought it was very good. I thought the acting was very, very nice. You know, how they acted out the emotion. Very, very well done.
“I’m glad we had the narration for each performance because then you know exactly what’s going on, what the theme is. But certainly, yes, that was very, very good. They’re very talented. There’s no doubt about it,” he said.
Mr. Duke said how much he appreciated the talent of the performers. “I have to say that they’re very, very talented. It’s amazing how everything is synchronized perfectly. I was thinking to myself that I don’t know if I could ever pull that off. I might choke if I were in a position like that!”
Nihal Weerasinghe attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Palace Theatre on May 9, 2024. (Weiyong Zhu/The Epoch Times)
Shen Yun, ‘So Wonderful’
Nihal Weerasinghe, a human resources director in the hospitality industry, said he came from Sri Lanka but “have not seen this type of thing in my whole life. I have traveled to about 35 countries around the world. This is so wonderful,” he said.
Through classical Chinese dance and music, Shen Yun is sharing with the world the beauty of China’s authentic 5,000 years of history. Since its founding in 2006, the company has received worldwide accolades for its mission to revive traditional Chinese culture.
Many elements of the production amazed him. “What my wife and I liked the most was the manner—how the artists are performing—and their attention to detail. It is amazing. I’ve never seen something like that. I consider it as such a wonderful experience for my wife and I to have experienced this. Thank you very much.”
Tom Greco and Kathy Crawford attended Shen Yun Performing Arts the Palace Theatre on May 9, 2024. (Frank Liang/The Epoch Times)
‘To Have Hope and to Get People Together’
Tom Greco and Kathy Crawford enjoyed what China cannot see as Shen Yun is banned in China. “It’s amazing. The dancers, the dressing, all things. Incredible. Beautiful. Beautiful,” Mr. Greco said. “I like that they’re letting us know—you can’t see this in China. It’s just so—It’s heartbreaking. Very spiritual.”
“I think [Shen Yun’s message] is very important. Communism needs to just go away. It needs to fall. That’s it. And that’s what [Shen Yun] wants to do: They want people to understand this is where our life was before, and this is how we’re not now. The only way to do that is to have hope and to get people together. It’s sad that you can’t express yourself and your views because communism doesn’t let you do that,” Mr. Greco said.
Ms. Crawford liked Shen Yun’s message. She said she liked “the message that they’re giving. I think it’s important.”
Mr. Greco agreed. “The message. The message—about hope, and truthfulness, and spirituality. It’s touching. I just feel it tells you from where they were—to where they’re going and how they want the world to be. I think the message is that they’re looking for everybody to come together in a very positive way.”
He was amazed at how the 3D interactive backdrop worked into the production, with dancers jumping into the screen and laughing. “It’s pretty cool how they did that. I like how they did it.”
Reporting by Weiyong Zhu, Frank Liang, and Yvonne Marcotte.
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