AUSTIN, Texas—On Dec. 26, Jennifer Beaulieu, a global supply chain manager, attended Shen Yun’s evening performance at the Long Center for the Performing Arts in Austin, Texas. She was surprised by how lovely the whole experience was.
“I just feel positive, really positive. It was absolutely stunning. I was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I did,” Beaulieu said.
Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company. Based in New York, its artists are dedicated to reviving China’s 5,000 years of divinely inspired culture.
“There are tears, there’s laughter. Everything you want is in the show,” Beaulieu said. She thought the female dancers in their colorful costumes were “very beautiful.”
“The way they moved—everyone was so light on their feet. They’re just amazing because they’re just so free and light; it was beautiful.”
Shen Yun dancers are highly trained in classical Chinese dance. Dating back thousands of years, it is one of the most athletic and expressive art forms in the world.
According to the company’s website, the classical Chinese dance we see in China today is heavily mixed with military and modern dance styles. Only at Shen Yun can you find it performed in its purest form—the way it was originally passed down through the generations.
Accompanying Beaulieu for the evening was Joe Riney, a company manager.
“It’s just beautifully orchestrated. I feel more than what [I can explain,] the whole ensemble is beautiful. It touched my heart. It was gorgeous,” Riney said.
A man of few words, Riney felt the message delivered by Shen Yun was “absolutely profound,” but he would need time to fully process everything before finding the right words to express it.
“I think there’s a lot of important messages as you go through the journey of each [program.] They remind you of your younger self or teach you something you’re learning right now. I think it was a very powerful performance,” he stated.
“I need to go in the car and think about everything that I’ve seen, but it’s absolutely 100%.”
