PHILADELPHIA—Watching Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Miller Theater on March 16 were Chris Harvey, an account manager, and his wife Gloria Harvey, a product manager. By the time of the intermission, the couple already had plenty of nice things to say about the performance. Mr. Harvey expressed his appreciation for the variety of dances performed throughout Shen Yun’s program, such as classical Chinese, ethnic, and folk dances.
“It’s very nice,” said Mr. Harvey. “I like the fact that it’s going into a lot of the more historical dances and going through different areas instead of just focusing most of the attention on the larger capitals and things of that nature,”
“The way that they’ve interacted with the digital background, I thought that was ingenious,” he said. “That was really nice.”
“I did not know what to expect, but it’s beautiful,” said Mrs. Harvey. “It’s really very visually appealing and … I love the story. I think because of how beautiful it is, it makes it easier to consume some of the message as well. So I’m enjoying it very much.”
According to Shen Yun’s website, traditional Chinese culture was founded on the spiritual teachings of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. Mr. Harvey felt that the performance was educational, as he did not know how spiritual Chinese culture was prior to seeing Shen Yun.
“I didn’t really have any cursory knowledge of how spirituality was viewed for the most part or the different types of spiritual ideologies within China, so it’s educational,” he said.
Mrs. Harvey complimented Shen Yun’s hand-made costumes before agreeing with her husband’s comment on Shen Yun’s educational value, referencing one of the story-based dances set in modern-day China depicting the Chinese Communist Party’s persecution of followers of faith.
“Like my husband said, it’s very educational. It shows me a different side of China that I was not aware of, and I really appreciate the fact that it calls out some practices that are worrisome. It brings some awareness to that because I would have never known that personally. So I’m happy to be here and be a part of the experience.”
Mrs. Harvey also said that she could feel the positive energy coming from the performers.
“They’re happy to be there,” she said. “It shows that they really love what they do and they really believe the message they’re sharing. It definitely shows, and it feels that way.”
