SAN FRANCISCO—On Jan. 4, Shen Yun Performing Arts World Company opened the first of its four consecutive performances at the War Memorial Opera House.
Following the matinee, Matthew Spivey, the CEO of the San Francisco Symphony, expressed his admiration for the artists, describing the experience as truly wonderful.
“It was very impressive—they did a wonderful job,” he stated. “I liked the message of the show—the idea of teaching compassion to other people. I thought it was really wonderful.”
The New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts was founded by a group of leading artists seeking to bring China’s 5,000 years of divinely inspired culture to life through dance and music.
Since its founding in 2006, Shen Yun has grown to include eight equally-sized companies that tour around the world simultaneously.
Mr. Spivey was also impressed by Shen Yun’s orchestra, which seamlessly combines a classic Western ensemble and traditional Chinese instruments. “The music was wonderful. I enjoyed it very much,” he said.
He especially enjoyed Shen Yun’s erhu performance, a 4,000-year-old instrument that mimics the human voice. Though it only has two strings, it is capable of conveying a wide range of emotions.Shen Yun ‘Made you feel hopeful for the future’
Also in the audience were U.S. treasury officer Kenneth Brem and his wife Shirley. This was the couple’s first time experiencing the performance, and they would definitely like to come back again.
“The colors, the synchronicity of the dancers, the skill involved in holding the poses on stage—it was really wonderful to watch,” Mr. Brem said, adding that Shen Yun’s theme of kindness and hope was “very uplifting to hear.”
“The dances made you feel hopeful for the future. It’s interesting to feel a bond between traditional Chinese history and our country,” he expressed.
“[Shen Yun] is not shown in China right now, [the artists] can only express that here in this country where we have the freedom for them to do so. It’s a really neat feeling.”
Due to Shen Yun’s focus on presenting the truth of events under communist rule in present-day China, it is currently forbidden by the ruling regime from performing in China.
Mrs. Brem, too, was taken by the absolute perfection of the show. She thought the dancers‘ balance, strength, and perfect timing were remarkable.
“That was really, really fun to watch. Everything was just so beautiful and I was very excited to know that there was a live orchestra playing, it was absolutely amazing. You come away feeling good, just happy and good,” she said.
Reporting by Mark Cao, NTD, and Jennifer Tseng.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
