CLAREMONT, Calif.—On March 8, Glenn Bever, a retired deputy director of NASA, attended Shen Yun Performing Arts’ evening show at the Bridges Auditorium with his family.
Despite having seen numerous advertisements over the years, this was the first time the Bevers got to attend the show. It did not disappoint.
“I loved it. It’s very interesting. Both my son and wife are dancers, and I thought they would enjoy it. They did. I did, too. It’s very unusual,” Mr. Bever said.
“I appreciated the athleticism. The ease of the movement—they make it look so simple, yet I know it’s extremely difficult. I could never approach something like that.”
Before the communist takeover, Chinese people were very spiritual and had a deep belief in the divine. For thousands of years, their values and day-to-day actions were strictly governed by the teachings of Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism.
These New York-based artists are now seeking to revive China’s 5,000 years of divinely inspired culture and showcase to the world, the beauty of China before communism.
“It was a story I could follow without words. That one was easy to follow, and it was a very emotional experience, actually,” he stated.
Mr. Bever’s son, Samuel, has danced throughout his life and is now a part of a Polish folk dancing group. He was very impressed by the skill of Shen Yun dancers and their animated storytelling.”
“One of the hardest parts of dance is to make it look easy when it’s clearly not—being able to keep a smile on your face, keep everything calm and smooth when the movements are really challenging—it was incredible to see that.”
“I think [Shen Yun] showed a lot of great insight, honestly. It was really cool to get a peek into that culture through dance. It’s clear that [the dancers] are very impassioned about their movements. The passion coming from all the performers on stage was really reviving. It was really cool to see,” Samuel stated.
“You hear bits and pieces of [the culture,] but to see it in front of you on full display—it was really eye-opening. It was really fun to get a glimpse of what [China] is like and feel the emotions coming from it.”
“You are all incredible performers, and I hope that in your future endeavors, you have all the success in the world because you all deserve it.”
