“The best show I’ve ever seen. I’ve been waiting for years to see this show. And it’s beyond my expectations, it’s just simply fantastic,” Gurian said.
He saw Shen Yun Performing Arts at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark on April 26. The performance is nearing the end of its 2019 tour where it performed hundreds of sold-out shows across the globe.Gurian is well known for being a comedy writer who has authored for stars like Jerry Lewis, Rodney Dangerfield, Joan Rivers, and Robin Williams. He has also authored several books and an award-winning short comedy film, “I am Woody.” Prior to his comedy career, Gurian was a practicing dentist in the field of cosmetic dentistry with his own dental practice in New York City.
He said he was amazed by many elements of the performance, especially the performers’ artistic level and synchronicity.
“I love everything about it, it’s so beautiful,” he added.
Gurian said when the curtain rose for the first piece, he was struck by the colors.“There was one combination of color, the orange scarves and the teal blue outfits were spectacular,” he said. “Just amazing, the whole thing is amazing to me.”
New York-based Shen Yun’s mission is to bring back the genuine Chinese culture that was nearly lost after seven decades of communist rule.Over the past several decades, China has experienced many movements aimed at dismantling 5,000 years of civilization and traditional culture. From cultural sites and temples to ancient relics and people’s beliefs, much of China’s history and spirit were destroyed after the Chinese regime seized power in 1949.
Seeing that genuine Chinese culture was at the brink of being wiped out, a group of overseas artists was determined to bring back everything that truly defined the Chinese people. Their performance, Shen Yun, is like a window into a cultural treasure that is nearly lost.
“I think it’s a fascinating thing and I think the Chinese culture is ancient and more people need to see this, it needs to go all over the world to bring everybody together,” he said.
With reporting by Yawen.
