SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun Tells ‘A Big, Universal Picture About Good Versus Evil,’ Says California Theatergoer

Apr 04, 2024
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Shen Yun Tells ‘A Big, Universal Picture About Good Versus Evil,’ Says California Theatergoer
Jamie (L) and Joe (R) Uthoff enjoyed Shen Yun's matinee at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Center on April 3, 2024. (Michael Ye/The Epoch Times)

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.—Actress Jamie Uthoff was amazed by Shen Yun Performing Arts’ beautiful storytelling after attending the company’s matinee on April 3, at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Center.

“I thought it was amazing. It’s amazing how so many beautiful stories were told through dance,” she exclaimed.

“Everyone was so flexible. [Makes me] want to go to the gym and work out. It was beautiful storytelling, the music was amazing, and the dancers—it was funny at times and very sad at other times. [There was] a lot of history.”

For five millennia, China filled its history with breathtaking legends and rich traditions rooted in spirituality. However, following the 1949 communist takeover, traditional Chinese culture went through a period of mass destruction.
The spread of atheism quickly eradicated people’s belief in the divine, and the cherished teachings of Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism disappeared overnight. In fact, prior to fleeing to America, many Shen Yun performers were persecuted for their faith.

Ms. Uthoff added that Shen Yun is “a very important show” because “it’s important to learn more about China, to learn more about how things are being run [in present-day China,] and how we need the freedom of speech.”

“It’s a very ancient culture that we need to hold on to, and we need to continue to learn about it and cherish all the good and beautiful things about it.”

Since Shen Yun’s establishment in 2006, these New York-based artists have made it their mission to revive this lost culture and return to the world through dance and music, the magnificence of China’s pre-communist era.
Ms. Uthoff was happy to see a spiritual element within Shen Yun’s program.

“It was beautiful, the power of the divine. Also, just the rhythm of [the dance]—how the body tells beautiful stories and how the divine source goes through all of us. I thought it was a very beautiful thing.”

Accompanying her for the evening was Joe Uthoff, who works in aerospace.

He, too, experienced the show for the first time.

“The show is wonderful. It’s just amazing to see the dancers and their movements. The music was amazing as well,” he expressed.

“At times, I was overcome with just a tremendous sense of joy. All the stories are just very wonderful and I was very impressed by the technology of the screen. It was just really beautiful,” he said.
For Mr. Uthoff, Shen Yun was more than just beautiful art.

“Shen Yun had some sort of divine inspiration or divine essence. You could feel there’s just a power behind it like it was telling more than just these stories about a dirty restaurant or other things—It’s more of a big, universal picture about good versus evil and the Creator. It was just a wonderful, wonderful experience.”

Reporting by Michael Ye and Jennifer Tseng.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
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