SALT LAKE CITY—Mel Auernig, who worked for the Army before retiring, brought his wife Laurie, an Air Force contractor, and their children Rykei and Lana to see Shen Yun Performing Arts on March 13, at the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Theater.
The family was thoroughly impressed with the evening’s performance.
“The show was awesome,” Mr. Auernig exclaimed. “I can’t believe it. It’s a testimony of people who seek excellence.”
“The perfection—you don’t do the acts and dancing that they do without seeking that excellence. We should do that in our life, seek our excellence, and be the best that we can be. I thought [the dancers were] anti-gravity. They were so light on their feet, it was incredible.”
According to the company’s website, the classical Chinese dance seen in China today is heavily mixed with military and modern styles. Only at Shen Yun can the audience experience it in its purest form, preserved as it was passed down through generations.
“People need to care more about people,” he added. “We don’t care about the cultures [nowadays,] we need to care. It'd be nice for us all just to get along. [That’s coming from] somebody who’s been in the military for 31 years—we have to somehow get along.”
“It was just really inspirational for me,” she shared. “I know there’s a lot of work that goes into [what] the performers are doing. I just really, really love the culture.”
“It encourages us to see young people, the next generation, be involved in the culture, and be involved in doing good things,” Mr. Auernig chimed in.
For its 2026 touring season, Shen Yun’s eight equally-sized companies will be performing in over 200 cities across five continents. Met with wide acclaim since its establishment in 2006, the company can be expected to return each year with a brand-new set of choreography and musical compositions.
