NEW YORK—Company owner and author Thomas Weck attended Shen Yun Performing Arts for the fifth consecutive year on April 2, at the David H. Koch Theater. Already, he is eagerly planning his sixth visit, having made a habit of purchasing front-row seats well in advance.
He loved that Shen Yun is a “spiritual experience.” It kept him coming back time and again.
“It’s rejuvenating and the performers are brilliant. I used to be in a pit orchestra for theater, and I played the trumpet. So, I have a great affinity for the pit orchestra players,” he said.
“I thought everything was brilliant. The singer [was] magnificent and the pianist was very skillful. … Superb. Everything about the performance is better than an A+. It’s rejuvenating, it’s spiritual, and it makes you want to enjoy the joy of life.”
Endowed with 5,000 years of history, China was once known as the “Land of the Divine.” For millennia, its people believed that by keeping their hearts pure and adhering to strict moral standards, they would be blessed by the divine.
Indeed, for 5,000 years, the country prospered. However, after the communist takeover and the spread of atheism, all this traditional culture was systematically destroyed. Today, Shen Yun’s mission is to bring back the beauty and goodness of China before communism.
Mr. Weck especially appreciated how the performance promotes traditional values and encourages audiences “to be a better person.”
“It was a joy to behold—the magnificence of mankind when it is put to good purposes. These performers really express that. I know they study very, very hard because I run a company that deals with balance and core stability,” he said.
“We train Olympic champions. … so I can appreciate performance’s athletic and spiritual [elements.] These men and women, they’re spectacular, that’s why I come every year to rejuvenate.”
Shen Yun artists are masters of classical Chinese dance, an ancient and highly expressive art form dating back thousands of years. Unlike the modern, military-influenced styles often seen in China today, Shen Yun preserves and performs this tradition in its most authentic form, as it was originally passed down through generations.
Mr. Weck also praised the company’s artistic director for his ability to present an entirely new program each year.
“It’s not a repeat performance, which makes it even more enjoyable to come each year, because you see a completely new performance,” he shared.
“The choreography, the music, the scenery—the way they change from a person to [animation.] It gets better and better every year. Every year they have more technology that they’re able to bring to bear, and that in and of itself is unbelievable.”
