ROSEMONT, Ill.—Pastors David Hallberg and Todd Oprzedek watched Shen Yun Performing Arts with their families at the Rosemont Theatre on March 15.
“We had a wonderful time. It was the first time we’ve been here, and we really enjoyed it,” said Mr. Hallberg.
Based in New York, Shen Yun was founded in 2006 by leading Chinese artists and quickly became the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company. Now, with eight equally sized companies that tour the world simultaneously, Shen Yun is on a mission to revive traditional Chinese culture and the beauty of China before communism.
According to the Shen Yun website, China was once known as “the land of the divine,” and its people believed that their culture was a gift from the heavens. However, since the Chinese Communist Party seized power, the close connection the Chinese people had with the divine was severed and replaced with atheist ideologies. Luckily, Shen Yun honors the spiritual elements of traditional Chinese culture in its performance and keeps it alive.
As men close to their faith, both Mr. Hallberg and Mr. Oprzedek were touched by the spirituality of traditional Chinese culture they saw presented in Shen Yun’s performance.
“God’s creation is beautiful, and the beauty of the performance shown through just mirrors God’s creation, mirrors the beauty of God’s creation, and it just simply shows that we have a Creator,” said Mr. Hallberg.
Although Mr. Oprzedek saw differences between the spirituality within Chinese culture, which comes from the teachings of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism, he acknowledged that there were also similarities. Shen Yun’s opening piece depicts divine beings following the Creator down to Earth to establish Chinese civilization.
“There is definitely a higher being, and we should have faith in our Creator who created us,” said Mr. Oprzedek. “There is a God and a supreme being in God … that created us, that cares about us, and hope is in Him, not in what humanity can do for themselves. This production … showed that.”
Shen Yun’s program also includes songs performed in the traditional bel canto style. The lyrics urge a return to tradition, which aligns with Mr. Hallberg’s own values. He shared what he believed to be the message of Shen Yun’s performance.
“It was the idea that we need to abandon modern thought, modern ways of thinking, things going [against] traditions,” he said. “As a Christian, that’s something I value, where we can go back to our roots, going back to religious thought and acknowledging our Creator and the plan he has for us.”
Mr. Oprzedek expressed his appreciation for the message as well, saying, “I appreciate the message, the music, and the idea of abandoning modern thought and going back to old traditions.”
Mr. Oprzedek also said that he enjoyed seeing the performers’ talent and discipline on stage, complimented by their hand-made costumes.
“It’s very beautiful, and the modesty of it [is] just very pure,” he said. “I really like the way it’s presented.”
