NEW YORK—On Friday evening, theatergoers at Lincoln Center watched artists speak truth to power wordlessly through classical Chinese dance. China’s communist regime has repressed Chinese traditional culture for decades, the dance company says. Now they want to revive it through art.
The group’s name, Shen Yun Performing Arts, means “the beauty of heavenly beings dancing,” which clashes with the atheism promoted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). This partially explains why Shen Yun is based in upstate New York rather than China, and why it’s banned from performing in China.
Robert Sullivan, the president of a New York trust company, said he appreciated the artists’ “speaking directly to some of the issues that are going on in China,” adding that the artistry is “absolutely wonderful.”
“The costumes were great, the dance performances are spectacular,” Mr. Sullivan said. “I think it’s very well choreographed.”
One scene in the performance depicts a follower of Falun Gong, a spiritual practice persecuted in China, being abused and blinded by communist officials.
“I believe, in ancient Chinese culture, there’s the worship of Shang Di [the Creator], and I think there’s some distant memories that are very similar to what you'd find in the Book of Genesis,” Mr. Sullivan said, adding that he’s a born-again Christian.
Rhonda Kaplan, a financial adviser for Morgan Stanley, who also watched Shen Yun on Friday, called their message “incredibly important.”
“These are very important pieces, they’re beautifully done. And it’s wonderful to see full houses. It’s a full house tonight, and it’s absolutely so well done,” Ms. Kaplan said.
China was probably once very similar to America in terms of spirituality, Ms.Kaplan said. “America, and what China was, I believe, was [all about] freedom of religion, freedom of expression,” she said.
