PHOENIX, Ariz.—On Feb. 17, school teacher Michelle McBride and librarian Jenny Gordon attended Shen Yun’s evening performance at the Phoenix Orpheum. It marked the penultimate show of the company’s eight consecutive performances at the theater.
Ms. McBride thought the artists did a great job of bringing the stories alive.
“I loved it. It was really, really beautiful. I enjoyed the dances, and I was crying. Beautiful and touching. Very touching,” she exclaimed.
“You really saw human lives being acted out. Honestly, it was great because there were funny moments and beautiful moments, and then there were really sad moments. I felt like I got hit when [a character] got hit. I was like, ‘Oh, my goodness.’”
“It really made me think about—especially because of it’s China before communism—just how much culture has been lost because of [the communist regime.] I was kind of getting that yearning even though I’m not part of that culture,” she said.
“I loved it. It’s amazing how it’s only two strings, but it’s really about where your fingers [are placed.] It’s kind of like a violin in how it creates just so many different sounds. That was really cool,” she stated.
The whole show, “is just really well done. A nice little peek into a different kind of culture and getting to hear a different perspective.”
Ms. McBride chimed in that because media propaganda paints China in a false image—“seeing a glimpse of [the culture] through the eyes of the people really opens your mind to understanding that not everything is as it seems.”
“Communism is not good, and I know, sadly, that the U.S. is probably heading that direction. It kind of saddens me to see how it destroys a culture and a people no matter where [it is] in the world,” she expressed.
