KANSAS CITY, Mo.—For Tim Thompson, his wife, Jonamie, and their daughter, Shen Yun Performing Arts was an emotional and uplifting experience.
“It was fantastic,” Mr. Thompson said at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts after the Jan. 28 matinee. “The classical dancing, the music, the singing, everything that we saw and heard, we really enjoyed”
“I felt like what made me more emotional about it is where China was, where it came from, where it is today, and our hope for where it will go in the future. And really though, it’s not just China. It’s the whole world,” said Mr. Thompson, a director at a telecommunications company.
“It’s very good—a hundred percent thumbs up,” said Mrs. Thompson, a jiujitsu coach. “It touched our emotions. They’re so spiritual and everything, creative.”
“I think there’s a lot of common values,” he said. “I think before communism in China, it was a much better place probably for the people and the rights of the people in China. So I would like to see really the whole world, you know, be able to allow its people to have more rights and to live the way they choose.”
“Here I saw different religions, but I think what’s in common is they believe in a higher power, and I think that was shown in the performance,” Mr. Thompson said. “Here’s what we believe. We believe that we should honor God, help people, love everyone and judge no one. And I think this show proved that for us.”
The Thomases also felt moved by the divinity they felt in Shen Yun’s performance.
“The traditional Chinese people were very spiritual, yes, they believe in divinity,” Mr. Thomas said. “I think that the show speaks of hope for people, I think that the traditional dances and music were expressed but it’s that divine belief that allowed them to have hope for the future.”
“It’s inspirational to see people put on such a beautiful show,” Mr. Thomas said. “Just above the top! Just excellent!”