Husband Gives a Shen Yun Ticket as a Birthday Present for his Wife
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Rodney and Michelle Owen attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Plenary Theatre on March 14, 2026. Mike Deng/The Epoch Times
MELBOURNE, Australia—Shen Yun Performing Arts provided enjoyment and so much more for the expectant audience at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Plenary Theatre on March 14. Rodney Owen got a Shen Yun ticket as a present for his wife Michelle’s 50th birthday.
They both found much to like. Mrs. Owen, a safety manager in the food manufacturing industry, said, “I’m mesmerized, absolutely mesmerized. [The dancers] make it look like it’s effortless. In their storytelling, you can really follow along and understand what they’re trying to convey. That, for me, is really capturing. Everywhere you look, something’s going on; there’s something to see. Really, really impressed.”
Mr. Owen, a carpenter and builder, said, “It’s amazing. I really enjoyed it.” He said he enjoyed the differences between the male and female dancers. “How they expressed the masculine and the feminine through dance and song. I enjoyed that part of it, for sure.”
Shen Yun’s mission is to revive the traditional values of China before communism. Mrs. Owen said, “I was sitting there thinking from my perspective how probably little I guess I know about Chinese culture and how it’s opened my eyes to, I guess, about 5,000 years’ worth of history.
“To think about all their own stories that may have been forgotten that they’re bringing back to life now. I think about what I didn’t know, and what I will know and take away from this now,” she said.
Mr. Owen was moved by the story of the man who regained his sight through faith depicted in “The Steadfast Heart.”
“When he gained his vision back, for me, I think that story was quite good, and watching what happened. How they took it away, but he was given [his sight] back just because he believed. He had stood fast in his beliefs.”
Mrs. Owen echoed these sentiments about how important it is to have faith in higher beings. “100 percent. It doesn’t matter what you believe in or what your culture is. To have faith is what makes us all connected.”
She liked all the dances, especially “The Origins of the Monkey King.” She noted the beauty of the artistry. “That’s what I keep sitting there looking at and wondering about—the artistic expression. Who choreographed the whole show, and how it all came together. I sit there looking at them, thinking how much they must have trained and practiced, just to make it look so effortless. It’s just incredible.”
Shen Yun features a live orchestra at all its performances with Eastern and Western instruments, with original music that accompanies the action on stage. “They’ve been amazing,” Mr. Owen said.
Mrs. Owen said, “I was sitting there thinking, like if you’re sitting at home watching a movie, you’re not paying attention to the orchestra. But they’re literally right there creating the music. I was thinking about that, as well. Everywhere you look, there’s something to see. You really feel like you’re involved in the show itself, too.”
She enthusiastically recommended Shen Yun. “Just come and have an open heart and an open mind. Just appreciate everyone’s cultures and the effort that goes into it,” she said.
Mrs. Owen respected how Shen Yun offered “a better appreciation of another culture that I didn’t know as much about.”
