ATLANTA—Delano Johnson, a Grammy Award nominee, singer-songwriter, and the author of the best-selling book, “Refuse to Live Talented & Broke!” attended Shen Yun’s matinee with his wife, Monique, on Jan. 14.
Sitting in the audience of the Atlanta Symphony Hall, the couple was touched by the performers’ dedication to the arts.
“It’s done to a certain perfection. You would think of perfection as mechanical, but the movements on stage—everything was extremely graceful, and it communicated the heart of the spiritual belief that is the theme of the show,” Mr. Johnson reflected.
“I think all of the actors and the dancers, they were just wonderful. They did a really, really good job conveying the passion behind the message.”
As a Christian, Mr. Johnson said he saw a lot of metaphors in the show that “related back to living a life that you’re spiritually aware.”
The spread of atheism quickly eradicated people’s belief in the divine, and the cherished teachings of Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism disappeared overnight. In fact, prior to fleeing to America, many Shen Yun performers were persecuted for their faith.
“Not very often are you successful at using art to convey a spiritual message, even though spirituality and art are synonymous. I think the directors and choreographers of [Shen Yun] did an amazing job,” he expressed.
“You don’t feel as if you were being preached to or being drawn in by some religious group. It was just a very basic, core, fundamental message of human beings—things like forgiveness, love, hope, and sacrifice—these are the things that make us who we are.”
The couple agreed that Shen Yun’s live orchestra and musicians were “extremely good.”
“I noticed that there was a mixture of age groups. That’s just so important for us, to be able to bring on younger people into the arts that we’ve perfected—to have them in an environment and in a show like this. I think it really lifts the level of intergenerational connections.” Mr. Delano said.
Mrs. Johnson, on the other hand, was wowed by the soloists.
“You had the soprano, the baritone, then also the young lady who came out with the instrument that only had two strings—she was phenomenal. I was very impressed, very impressed,” she said.
Mr. Johnson, too, was amazed.
“We’ll be back again. For sure, most definitely. It’s so good you have to see it again.”
