SACRAMENTO, Calif.—IT company owner Randy Crockett and his wife Laura, a physician, felt touched and impressed by Shen Yun after attending the company’s performance on Jan. 25.
Exiting the SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center at the end of the evening, Mr. Crockett said he was wowed by the dancers’ “ability to tell a whole story—get all of the context and really understand the details—without any words.”
“That was really impressive. I was really surprised by that,” he exclaimed, stating that the show was “very enlightening.”
“I think it’s just really cool and really exciting. It’s really interesting to understand and see a culture play out—the history, the spirituality, and its foundation—a lot of things I know nothing about.”
The show is comprised of a series of short pieces that take its audience on a ride through the dynasties and across the vast regions of China.
He thought that message came through “starting from the very beginning with [people] coming down from heavens and [their stories] playing out throughout history.”
“All the different stories kind of tied back to that,” he said.
“It was just so beautiful and graceful—all the beautiful colors and the very detailed costumes. I think it’s very important [to bring back traditional culture,]” she said.
“I remember going through the mall and seeing signs for Shen Yun. I’ve always wanted to come and see it. It’s beautiful to be able to learn a little bit more about Chinese culture.”
She especially enjoyed the piece, where the dancers’ long sleeves billowed and flowed like the gentle movement of water on stage.
According to the company’s website, these sleeves were a part of ancient Chinese feminine attire representing humility and grace.
“It’s a beautiful culture that is getting suppressed, which is kind of sad,” she lamented. “The Chinese are losing the ability to share [this culture] with their children and pass it on through the generations.”
