DALLAS—One day, a bright yellow poster featuring two beautiful maidens with long, flowing pink sleeves and exquisite lime-colored dresses captured the attention of young Andrea Raybon. After seeing the advertisements about Shen Yun Performing Arts coming to Dallas, she eagerly asked her father to attend.
Kevin and Andrea Raybon came to see the Jan. 2 matinee at the Winspear Opera House in Dallas. Shen Yun did not disappoint, dazzling the father and daughter with a feast of color, music, and dancing. The theater was packed with a warm, lively audience of families and young children that afternoon.
Ms. Raybon thought Shen Yun was beautiful, and she particularly loved the program titled “Fairies of the Sea,” in which heavenly blue-robed maidens danced with flowing fans mimicking the cerulean waters of the ocean.
Her father, Mr. Raybon, Vice President of Sales Operations for Schneider Electric, loved the history and rich classical Chinese culture portrayed throughout the performance.
Mr. Raybon felt that he made relatively little contact with other cultures, so he was happy to see a performance like Shen Yun, a New-York based company which proudly presents 5,000 years of Chinese civilization, culture, and traditions to audiences worldwide.
Mr. Raybon also noticed the underlying themes of spirituality, peace, and hope within Shen Yun that extends far beyond just China’s traditions. “People have always been seeking peace; they’ve been seeking to connect to a higher power,” he said.
In particular, he noted the role of music in the history of human faith. “[Music] is one of those things that many cultures believe is a gift from God to us, and it is our gift back to Him.”
Shen Yun, which translates in English to “the beauty of divine beings dancing,” dedicates itself to reviving China’s traditional culture and heritage, a tradition of spiritual self-discipline and veneration for the divine, as their website states.
Mr. Raybon particularly enjoyed listening to the bel canto vocalists, he said that “there is a higher power that empowers us and allows us to be our best while we are here on Earth. And we should be able to present to the higher powers our best selves so we can get along with one another and there can be peace on earth.”
From Shen Yun, he received a feeling of hope. “It’s the hope that people can get along. In today’s world, with so much violence and so many things are brought to us that are evil.”
He said he was happy to see within Shen Yun this spirit of peace and harmony that “can help us all grow closer to one another.”
Reporting by Mary Yuan and Irene Luo
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.
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.
