Jim Beckwith, a retired law professor, said, “On the surface, you think the women are graceful and the guys are acrobats, but then you will see the women do some of the remarkable gymnastics. I was here last year and I always get a front-row seat, so you can see the athleticism up close. And those guys are not big weightlifters, they are graceful athletes. And it’s just a wonderful inspiration.”
He said he appreciated Shen Yun’s mission to showcase the beauty of “China before communism.”
“I think it’s wonderful, because you have to win the culture. You can’t just talk, talk shows and politics and all that. You have to keep alive that which is sacred so that you can resist the Marxist lie that only the self can be known. Materialism is so empty, and you give people something in their heart, as well as appealing to their brain.”
Karla Brantner, a business owner, said, “I really liked how they merged the technology with the screen in the background. It looks really beautiful. And then the costumes are just gorgeous. It makes the flow of the dance really beautiful.”
Teresa Rodriguez, a company CEO, said, “I see that they express through their movements and the music they play, the dances, how they feel about their beliefs, how this deity comes and helps them when they are good, when they have nice behavior, when they are compassionate with others. And they help and bless them, and how they also share those blessings with others.”
“I’m here because it’s a moral issue,” Mr. Beckwith said. “There is the moral importance of supporting what this wonderful organization is doing, because the Chinese Communist Party is an instrument of unspeakable evil and must be resisted and Americans need to understand the message that you are sending.”
Based in New York, Shen Yun has been touring the world since 2006, and has grown to eight different companies. Shen Yun currently cannot perform in China due to the regime’s brutal persecution of faith.
“You could see the switch where it was very colorful, very light, and then it went a little bit darker. We weren’t aware that this kind of show you can’t see in China anymore, so it was really nice to hear that we were seeing things that you can’t possibly see there. But you could see the contrast where it made it really light and really bright, and then it went dark to tell the history of how oppression is happening in China,” Ms. Brantner said.
“Thank you. Have courage, and know that you are doing something that is transcendent and disproves the Marxist lie with every breath you take,” Mr. Beckwith said. “I'd like to shake your [Artistic Director’s] hand and say you’re a genius. And a blessing.”
