MCALLEN, Texas—On Feb. 21, lawyer Javier Villalobos attended Shen Yun Performing Arts’ opening show at the McAllen Performing Arts Center with his wife, Annette, a legal assistant, and their daughter.
The family had been hearing about the New York-based company since 2017 and decided this was the perfect opportunity to finally experience it for themselves.
“I’m very glad to be here, and it is amazing,” Mr. Villalobos said during intermission. “The dancing is beautiful, the colors—everything’s beautiful—the stories.”
“It’s just incredible. I love it. It’s been great. I can’t wait for the second half,” he added.
Mrs. Villalobos was equally impressed by the dancers’ talent.
“It’s beautiful. The dancing is incredible,” she said. “The dancers are awesome, and the techniques and everything; it’s out of this world.”
Shen Yun artists are highly trained in classical Chinese dance—an art form with a history spanning thousands of years, celebrated for its athleticism and expressive power. What many may not realize is that numerous tumbling techniques often associated with gymnastics and acrobatics actually originate from classical Chinese dance.
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.
The couple also enjoyed the storyline dances that brought fairytales, historical legends, and modern-day accounts to life through dance and music, without the use of spoken dialogue.
“It’s very, very nice,” Mrs. Villalobos said, adding that there were a number of moments where she was deeply moved.
Before the spread of atheism under communist rule, Chinese civilization was deeply rooted in spiritual belief and reverence for the divine. Following the communist takeover in 1949, much of this traditional culture was suppressed.
As the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company, Shen Yun’s mission is to revive China’s 5,000 years of divinely inspired culture—the culture of China before communism.
For Mr. Villalobos, one of the most memorable pieces depicted the Chinese Communist Party’s persecution of Falun Dafa, a spiritual practice centered on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. He was deeply moved by the story’s message that faith and goodness ultimately prevail.
“I loved when [the main character] came back, and he regained his eyesight,” he said. “That is just amazing.”
The story also prompted him to reflect on the value of America and the importance of not taking freedom for granted.
“I really hope people understand that we live not in a perfect country, but at least we don’t have some of the [persecution] that now I realize still occurs over [in China today,]” Mr. Villalobos said.
“Freedom is important, it really is. That’s one of the things that has always been very, very important for our country.”
Since its establishment in 2006, Shen Yun has grown rapidly from one to eight equally-sized companies that tour around the world. Each year, the artists present a brand-new set of choreography and musical compositions, ensuring that both new and returning audience members are always in for a surprise.
