COSTA MESA, Calif.—Gabriela Cubeiro, the vice president of a marketing company, had no idea what to expect stepping into Shen Yun’s matinee on March 17 at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts.
After just seeing a billboard ad, she decided to buy tickets for herself and her daughter. Luckily,
the show was everything they had hoped it would be.
“It’s been really cool so far. I’m enjoying it,” Ms. Cubeiro said during intermission. “It’s so creative and so pretty. “
She thought it was very cool how each dance had a unique story. “It’s really fun for kids to explore the culture. I’m sure [my daughter] will have some questions after,” she added.
Based in New York, Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and
music company. Its artists are seeking to revive the glory of China’s 5,000 years of history and share through a series of short dance pieces, all that is good and beautiful in China before communism.
Prior to the communist party’s
violent takeover, China was a very spiritual nation. Shen Yun included many of these divine elements in its performance.
Ms. Cubeiro thought this was very interesting and said the show inspired her to “go back and read a bit more about it.”
As a result of the Chinese Communist Party’s promotion of atheism nationwide, many people nowadays are unaware that a huge part of traditional Chinese values were derived from ancient
spiritual traditions such as Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism.
In Ms. Cubeiro’s view, Shen Yun’s mission to revive this lost culture is not only good but very important for the next generation. It is a show that unites people together.
“The [theater] is packed, and everyone is really soaking [the culture] in. It’s very inspiring,” she stated.
“This is art, and [the company] is putting on this show and dance—It’s really interesting to see it bringing all these people together. I imagine its [
mission] is successful.”
Moreover, having experienced communism, Ms. Cubeiro resonated deeply with
Shen Yun’s message of freedom.
“My family is from a country that was impacted by communism as well. So, coming here, even though it’s different religions and a different history, it’s still very familiar,” she reflected.
“I definitely understood. Absolutely.”
Reporting by Linda Jiang and Jennifer Tseng.
