For Joseph Campagna, who saw Shen Yun at Merriam Theater in Philadelphia on Feb. 21, 2020, the portrayal of this modern-day story left him in tears, and he came away from the performance with this message in his heart:
“I was very emotional ... You see, you could feel love without it actually saying, love. And throughout the expression ... it transcends nationalities, time. There’s one concept—it’s love,” said Campagna, who works in wealth management.
Ancient Values, Modern Stories
The depth and breadth of Shen Yun made Campagna emotional, and one particular story lingered in his mind.Campagna said Shen Yun opened up his eyes, and through the artistry, made him feel intrigued and compassionate toward what was taking place in China.
“It’s done in a beautiful way and actually made me cry,” said Campagna.
Emotion and Expression
Jessica Baliski, a speech language pathologist who attended Shen Yun with Campagna, felt Shen Yun was different because it expressed these stories through dance, and was able to express “things that we can’t really express in words.”Shen Yun portrays these stories through classical Chinese dance, accompanied by a live symphony orchestra comprised of Eastern and Western instruments. According to Shen Yun’s website, classical Chinese dance dates back thousands of years, and is one of the most expressive art forms in the world:
“China’s deep cultural traditions are contained in classical Chinese dance, allowing its movements to be richly expressive, such that the personalities and feelings of characters can be portrayed with unparalleled clarity. It is therefore capable of depicting scenes from any time period, whether ancient or modern, Eastern or Western, in a strikingly vivid way,” the website states.
Baliski said that she loved the dance and that she found it “humorous and loving and passionate, all in one.”
“I just love human expression, no matter what the facet. I found it [the dance] intriguing. I love every culture and I love how every different culture expresses themselves,” said Baliski.
A Universal Message
Campagna shared that he is Catholic, but that no matter one’s nationality or denomination, you can relate to the stories that Shen Yun portrayed.“There’s one message and it’s just expressed in different ways, all over the world. But there’s still that one message that goes through,” he said.
For Campagna, the message he interpreted was so touching because of the contrast between good and evil, which he referred to as like “yin and the yang.” For him, the good is so precious because of adversity and struggle. For this reason, he values the struggle too, because of the goodness it can forge.
“No matter what language, no matter what ethnicity you are, love is love, and good and evil will always be there. And in my heart, love always wins,” said Campagna.
Campagna expressed his admiration for the Shen Yun dancers:
“What they [the dancers] go through, the regimen, the whole training, is insane ... You have to believe in something a lot to go through what they go through,” said Campagna.
