Shen Yun Expresses ‘Principles We Hold Dear,’ Says Radio Host
Jan 29, 2023
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Radio host Dennis McCourt at the William Saroyan Theatre, in Fresno, on Jan. 28, 2023. (NTD)
FRESNO, Calif.—Dennis McCourt, radio host of Kingdom Talk Radio, was uplifted and inspired by Shen Yun Performing Arts at the William Saroyan Theatre on Jan. 28.
“I thought everything from the choreography to the music to the dance to the orchestra was over the top—amazing,” said Mr. McCourt after the Saturday matinee.
“The performers are really demonstrating discipline and amazing abilities and skills,” he said.
Along with art, Mr. McCourt said Shen Yun expresses the “principles that we hold dear.”
New York-based Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance company. Along with folk dances and solo performances, the production presents story-based pieces that depict the history and traditional culture of China from ancient times to the modern day.
China’s 5,000-year-old traditional culture has been on the brink of extinction since the Chinese communist regime seized power in 1949. Shen Yun says its performances demonstrate “China before communism.”
“There’s these common aspirations that we have as human beings for freedom, for truth, for compassion,” said Mr. McCourt.
“I think people throughout the United States and around the world need to be standing for these principles against tyranny—against communism—to stand for truth, compassion, and forbearance.”
“This is what really spoke to me with Shen Yun,” he said.
“We need to be standing together for freedom, freedom of speech, freedom of faith, freedom of movement, and not allow the tyranny of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) or communism to encroach upon those freedoms,” he added.
‘That’s Why I Came Here, to See That’
John Holt, retired CEO, and his wife Jennifer Holt, a registered nurse, also attended Shen Yun at the William Saroyan Theatre, in Fresno, on the afternoon of Jan. 28.
“This is a wonderful performance … It’s interesting to see all the different styles of dance and all the different costumes,” said Mrs. Holt.
John Holt and Jennifer Holt at the William Saroyan Theatre, in Fresno, on Jan. 28, 2023. (Lily Yu/The Epoch Times)
“I appreciate the tie back to tradition,” she added, “the focus on the traditional culture, the traditional dance, the traditional music … it shows that the culture is still alive and well, regardless of what’s happening in China today.”
One of Shen Yun’s unique features is its orchestra. It’s the first in the world to permanently combine classical Western and Chinese instruments within a Western symphony orchestra. Shen Yun also boasts virtuoso vocalists who sing Chinese lyrics using the bel canto style.
After reading the poetic lyrics from the vocalist, Mr. Holt said, “the words on the screen … about atheism and evolution [as] the culprits of things going wrong today … I thought, that’s why I came here, to see that!”
“I love it … it’s amazing,” he added, “every time an act closes, I’m thinking, ‘it’s going to get better and better.’”
Reporting by NTD, Lily Yu, and Jennifer Schneider.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
