Emily Roberson, a research consultant, said, “It was so magical. It reminded me of a movie. It was really amazing how they incorporated projection mapping as well. Not only did it remind me of a movie, it also reminded me of a video game. I love dancing, and I really appreciate the high-level dancing and the talent of the performers, especially since many of them could do flips and really cool acrobatic-type moves. It was just a really good fusion of many different types of art.
“As far as the heart goes, you could definitely tell that there were virtues being portrayed through dance. To me, it reminded me of fables that I learned as a child, like knowing the difference between good and bad and being able to choose good over bad,” she added.
Greg Estes, a retired colonel of the U.S. Army, said he witnessed “lots and lots of hours of hard work.”
“I see the martial arts in it, I see the dance, I see the culture,” he said. “You see it among all cultures when they express it through their language, their song, their dance, lots and lots of hard work, a lot of emotions, and a lot of giving of themselves.”
Sandy Nguyen, a business owner, said, “It’s incredible. I really enjoy the quality of the show. The music, the performance, it’s a great combination of the art of the West and East.”
“I love the music. I could feel it in my body, that was the best part, with it being live instrument. And it definitely added to the storyline, being able to feel the music and follow the ups and downs as the stories played out,” Ms. Roberson said.
Mr. Estes said, “Understand the history and the culture, the thousands of years of music and dance, and the stories told behind that—that’s what’s going through my head, learning from it.”
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, as many of its performers practice the Falun Gong spiritual practice, based on the virtues of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance.
Ms. Nguyen said, “I don’t see any reason for it not to be performed worldwide, because it’s a great piece of art. I do hope that any political aspect or restriction will be [re-]considered, so it can be performed in other areas where it currently may not be. That would be great.”
“I can relate to that. I’ve been all around the world with the military and war zones and stuff like that in harsh countries where oppressive regimes are, and you see people are people, and good people are good people. It’s good to see that we all go through trying times, but we can evolve and overcome that if we work really hard, and if we’re lucky and keep the faith,” Mr. Estes said.
Ms. Nguyen said, “They do it with their heart. All of them were into it. I want to tell them thank you. I appreciate their performance. I really enjoyed myself, and I do wish them more great shows like this in every corner of the world.”
