‘It Touches Your Heart,’ Audience Member Says at Shen Yun Performance in Purchase, NY
Apr 20, 2024
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Frances Lohmeyer and Joseph Scott attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Performing Arts Center at Purchase College, on April 20, 2024. (Weiyong Zhu/The Epoch Times)
PURCHASE, N.Y.—Shen Yun Performing Arts performed at The Performing Arts Center at Purchase College on April 20 to a welcoming audience. Joseph Scott, a retired administrator in the New York Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, came with his friend, Frances Lohmeyer, to see the performance.
Mr. Scott found the stories, depicted through dance and introduced by the hosts, carried significant messages. He said, “[The messages] are coming across very clearly. I like the way they’re introducing it. You have the announcing and the way it’s described in the book, in your program. It’s just fantastic. It really creates a great backdrop so that you really know what’s going on and how like [in the dance] with the horses. I mean, you could actually see them riding.”
Ms. Lohmeyer enjoyed being exposed to the culture of ancient China. “So beautiful. It’s absolutely exquisite. It makes me think of the Chinese culture before communism took over and how communism has just spoiled and ruined everything in China. The dancers and the colors and the costumes [in Shen Yun’s performance] are so beautiful.”
Ms. Lohmeyer appreciated the connection between heaven and humankind in the finale. “The spiritual aspect is the most beautiful part, the way it’s portrayed with the background and the characters rising up to the emperor, and to heaven, and to the clouds. It’s very beautiful. Very moving. It touches your heart,” she said.
She added that she would recommend Shen Yun to others. “I would tell them they must come to see it. It really does give you inspiration,” Ms. Lohmeyer said.
Mr. Scott agreed that it exceeded his expectations. “Exceeded. Yes. It’s something that the way they portray it on the TV just doesn’t really present what ... really comes across when you actually see it live. It’s just beautiful,” he said.
With shows scheduled in over 200 cities and across five continents, the 2024 touring season is shaping up to be the artists’ busiest yet.
Army Engineer Resonates With Shen Yun’s Spiritual Message
Ed Maluszak, a U.S. Army senior engineer, said he liked Shen Yun’s performance very much.
Ed Maluszak attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Performing Arts Center at Purchase College on April 20, 2024. (Frank Liang/The Epoch Times)
“I liked it because I love the pageantry, I love the classical look of it, and then the story really added to it. [The program] just incorporated everything with the Mongolian cowboys ... and the story of the golden book. It was just tremendous. Everything was well put together.”
The dance featuring the story of the golden book was a special favorite. “It was very good.” He said he was aware of the persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners before he came, even though the communist regime has attempted to cover up the situation.
The performance raises awareness around the world of the persecution of the spiritual discipline, and Mr. Maluszak said it was important.
Through classical Chinese dance and music, Shen Yun is sharing with the world the beauty of China’s authentic 5,000 years of history before communism. Since its founding in 2006, the company has received worldwide accolades for its mission to revive traditional Chinese culture.
Mr. Maluszak resonated with Shen Yun’s spiritual message. “Spiritually, I believe in God, and I think this has a spiritual message to it, as well. God is great, and that’s all I can say,” he said.
Tradition is important in every society, he added. “I believe in tradition. The younger people aren’t so much, but shows like this will help younger people understand tradition a little bit better,” he said.
He said he hopes Shen Yun will continue to do a great job: “Keep up the great work. Keep up just getting it to more and more people through this show. I think it’s a wonderful thing you’re doing.”
Reporting by Frank Liang, Weiyong Zhu, and Yvonne Marcotte.
