SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

‘It’ll Change You:' Everyone Should See Shen Yun, Says Albany Audience

SHARE
‘It’ll Change You:' Everyone Should See Shen Yun, Says Albany Audience
C.J. Gabrielle and Mike Lewis attend Shen Yun Performing Arts at Proctors Theatre in Schenectady, N.Y., on Feb. 21, 2024. Frank Liang/The Epoch Times

ALBANY, N.Y.—How often do we feel that life is just passing through the motions day after day? Mike Lewis shared that he broke out of this mundane feeling after seeing Shen Yun Performing Arts.

“I think everyone should see it. Everyone should see the show. It‘ll change you,” Mr. Lewis, who has a developing company, said. “When you come out of here, not only will you feel super alive, it gives you a sense of, ’Wow, there’s more to life than just working and making money and getting ahead.' That’s life right there.”

Shen Yun is based in New York, and its mission is to revive 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture. But beyond that, Shen Yun strives to present an experience of beauty and a deep respect for the divine.

“That is beyond what we do on a daily basis, you can’t put a price on that. It’s hard to put my finger on it, but what it does to your heart is unbelievable,” Mr. Lewis said.

Shen Yun’s music struck a chord with Mr. Lewis. The live orchestra caters to the dancers on the stage, never missing a beat.

“The music is powerful, your music is unbelievable,” Mr. Lewis shared with the performers. “It just grabs you, and it takes you away. It just lifts you. If you come in here sad, you’re going to go out happy. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Shen Yun’s resident composers work closely with Shen Yun’s choreographers. Each season, an entirely new production greets the audience. Mr. Lewis expressed that he was moved by the music he heard this evening.

“The music will grab you and lift you up and just take you away. It’s powerful. It can make you smile, it can make you cry, it can make you want to dance. It’s absolutely unbelievable,” he said.

Shen Yun’s orchestra is the only ensemble in the world to have traditional Chinese instruments as permanent members.
One traditional Chinese instrument, the erhu that was featured in the performance, is often described to be soul-stirring and very expressive.

“Music just gets inside of you. It gets in your body, it gets in your soul, it gets in your mind and your heart. The music here is stunning. Everything is stunning, but the music is stunning. It’s just perfect,” Mr. Lewis said.

With Mr. Lewis was C.J. Gabrielle, a dental hygienist. She was struck by the grace and athleticism of Shen Yun’s dancers.

“The way they move to the music ... Everybody’s floating. The girls, when they walk across the floor, they look like they’re just floating. It’s magical,” she said.

Ms. Gabrielle also complimented Shen Yun’s use of an interactive digital backdrop. Its patented use of the technology gives the dancers the ability to travel anywhere the story requires them, including disappearing and reappearing in the blink of an eye.

“It’s just alive and bright. I love how they fly into the screen. It’s like, you’re sitting there going, how do they do that? Like they come out of the screen, they go into the screen and come back out, it’s like, how do they do that?” Ms. Gabrielle remarked.

With beautiful dance and music, Shen Yun strives to present traditional values and hope to its audience.

“When you come out, you feel so uplifted. Absolutely, it makes you feel good about life. It gives me a sense of hope, and it refreshes you from the inside out. It takes you and grabs you and takes you away. You’re flying through the air with it,” Mr. Lewis said.

Reporting by Frank Liang and Maria Han.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
Related Topics
shen yun
SHARE