LOUISVILLE, Ky.—Anna Stephens has a deep love for dance. Having done a lot of dancing in high school, dancing brings her a lot of joy. Seeing Shen Yun Performing Arts was an absolutely magical experience for her.
“If I could grow up to be like [Shen Yun], I would, but I don’t think I can anymore. I absolutely loved all the acrobatics, all the jumping. It’s just amazing. Incredible talent. [The dancers] work so hard, and it shows. Everywhere [Shen Yun] brings this show, [it will] bring light, bring joy, bring peace, so thank you from Louisville, Kentucky,” Ms. Stephens said.
Shen Yun is based in New York, and its mission is to revive 5,000 years of Chinese civilization.
“I’m really glad I saw this. I think it really connects with people on a certain level, because you don’t necessarily need words to understand the movements and the music and the colors and all of that. It spreads the joy of a culture that was so beautiful, amazing, and stood for thousands of years, so I learned a lot tonight, and I’m so happy,” Ms. Stephens said.
A popular dance among the audience is “Water Sleeves.” Ms. Stephens was no exception.
“I was trying to figure out why they were called water sleeves, and then I saw them fly out, and how they floated kind of like ribbons. It just flows and ebbs, beautiful as water. So, I love the water sleeves a lot,” she said.
Shen Yun puts on an all-new production every year, and before the start of each season, the artists rehearse tirelessly to ensure they give their best to everyone in the audience.
“The synchronization they were very near perfect. I think what makes it beautiful, too, is that they are humans, doing a dance, representing the divine in expression through dance, so I thought that was beautiful. But whenever they do all the spins, how in sync they were, just thinking of all the work that goes into this performance is astounding,” Ms. Stephens said.
Shen Yun’s live orchestra is a unique combination of traditional Chinese instruments and a classic Western ensemble.
“I think [Shen Yun’s] music just does something to the soul when you listen to the way the composers arrange certain things, instruments, crescendos, decrescendos. I definitely think it has an impact on the listener, on the audience,” Ms. Stephens said.
Reporting by Yeawen Hung and Maria Han.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
