ESCONDIDO, Calif.—Autumn Johnson, senior managing editor at Patch.com, had looked forward for months to seeing Shen Yun Performing Arts. After finally attending its matinee at the California Center for the Arts on Feb. 11, Ms. Johnson thought it was absolutely incredible.
“There’s so much talent that it’s overwhelming. It’s not just the
dancers, the musicians, the
costumes, even the set design was really clever,” she said. “There was a little bit of humor sprinkled throughout. That was great. Everybody in my group really enjoyed themselves.”
Ms. Johnson also loved
Shen Yun’s portrayal of traditional
culture and was very happy to be able to share this experience with her daughter and niece.
“Anytime we get a chance to learn about other people’s
culture, I think it’s such a wonderful thing for us to take advantage of—especially, to expose our children to it so that they get to learn and enjoy the arts,” she said. “I was really, really excited for them to be able to see it.”
Based in New York,
Shen Yun Performing Arts was founded in 2006 by elite Chinese artists who had fled the persecution of the communist regime.
The company’s mission is to revive China’s 5,000 years of divinely inspired traditions that were forced to the brink of extinction by decades of communist rule and the spread of atheism.
Now the world’s top classical Chinese dance and music company,
Shen Yun has grown to include eight equally sized companies that perform simultaneously in packed venues around the world.
Ms. Johnson said enjoyed Shen Yun’s music. “It was so beautiful. [The soloists] just bring out emotions,” she said. “It’s so lovely to listen to. It takes you away a little bit while you’re absorbed in the music.”
According to its website, Shen Yun’s
orchestra features a classical Western ensemble as the foundation while highlighting traditional Chinese instruments such as the two-stringed
erhu and the pipa—an ancient Chinese lute.
Shen Yun can be expected to present a brand-new set of
choreography and compositions each year.
Referring to the spiritual aspects of Shen Yun, Ms. Johnson said it was a pleasant surprise. “I really enjoyed it because they were able to tie it all in with the beautiful traditions. It’s neat to see that it’s being preserved and shared.”
“The message of compassion and kindness was definitely woven throughout the different dances. I think, no matter what culture, that’s an important message to share to everyone,” she said. “All the time we need to be thinking about that. I really love that [Shen Yun] was sharing it with us.”
Reporting by Jane Yang and Jennifer Tseng.
