SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

The Incredible Experience of Shen Yun

Dec 24, 2013
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The Incredible Experience of Shen Yun
Houston's Jones Hall for the Performing Arts. (Epoch Times)

HOUSTON—Shen Yun Performing Arts exceeded all expectations as a Christmas gift for the family as investor Jim Wilson attended the matinee in Houston at the Jones Hall for the Performing Arts, Dec. 24.

“It’s fantastic,” Mr. Wilson said. “The dancing’s incredible, the singing as well.”

And wrapped up with the Tang imperial drummers and the elaborate headdresses of Manchurian princesses, Mr. Wilson found himself learning more than he expected about the Chinese culture.

“I’ve read a lot about it but this is my first time seeing it live,” Mr. Wilson said of New York-based Shen Yun. “I think it’s fabulous.

“I’ve really enjoyed it,” he added. “We’ve been really enjoying Christmas Eve here.”

Enlightening Experiences

Also in the audience was Mr. Leo Grove, an entrepreneur and president of ssl.com. “I do recommend it—it’s very good,” Mr. Grove said.

Mr. Grove said he appreciated the insight into modern day China he got from the show. As some audience members were surprised to realize, Shen Yun cannot be performed in China. The 5,000 years of divinely inspired culture is not one that is readily found in China today.

One of the pieces Mr. Grove found most eye-opening shed light on Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa. The spiritual practice was founded in 1992 in China and follows traditional Chinese beliefs; however, the practice is now persecuted under the Chinese regime, and Mr. Grove said the performance helped give insight on the situation.

“It’s [a] really colorful, nice, cultural experience,” Mr. Grove said.

Mr. Fernando Scaglia, a physician and researcher who teaches at the Baylor College of Medicine, attended the performance as well and was deeply inspired by the spiritual culture he saw.

“It’s wonderful,” said Mr. Scaglia. “It also has a lot of meaning.”

Mr. Scaglia had attended a Shen Yun Orchestra performance just months ago and felt he had to see the performance with dance. Shen Yun Orchestra is truly unique in that it combines the sounds of both East and West, blending traditional Chinese instruments into a full Western symphony.

After seeing Shen Yun, Mr. Scaglia was inspired. “Compassion, mercy, looking for the original self, truthfulness. That’s the inspiration I take,” Mr. Scaglia said.

“I think it’s a take-home message for everybody,” he added. “I would recommend it to everybody.

Mr. Richard Dickerson, a software engineer, also attended the performance with his wife, and he shared similar sentiments.

“It’s wonderful to see the spirit of China in such color and grace,” Mr. Dickerson said. “It’s very moving and I was glad to see it.”

Mr. Dickerson said that Shen Yun has combined color, music, and the art of traditional Chinese dance in a way that it was truly “spiritual and heartfelt.”

“It’s very joyful and moving,” Mr. Dickerson said. “It just calls to the heart, and I hope it comes back home soon.”

For Michelle and Jerry Bailey, the performance was “something to remember for a lifetime.” The couple attended the performance to celebrate not only the holidays, but their anniversary and their health.

“This is a special occasion for my husband and I,” Mrs. Bailey said. Mr. Bailey is currently battling cancer, which is why they wanted to see the performance that day, Mrs. Bailey said.

“It’s terrific,” Mr. Bailey said of the performance. “It’s very high energy, very stimulating, it’s a very good long-term memory impression.”

“We were blessed by this [performance] today,” Mr. Bailey said.

Mrs. Bailey added that the experience was both special and exciting, and humbling to watch.

“I thought it was magnificent,” Mrs. Bailey said.

Reporting by NTD Television and Catherine Yang

New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit Shen Yun Performing Arts.

The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time. We have proudly covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.

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