SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun Brings Hope for the Future, Say Kansas City Theatergoers

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Shen Yun Brings Hope for the Future, Say Kansas City Theatergoers
Tim and Jonamie Thompson and their daughter enjoyed the Shen Yun Performing Arts matinee at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, on Jan. 28, 2023. Sherry Dong/The Epoch Times

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.”

For Mrs. Thompson, Shen Yun carried a message of love. Mr. Thompson also felt that the 5,000 years of divine inspiration that New York-based Shen Yun showed was full of universal values.

“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.”

Mr. Thompson was referencing Shen Yun’s mission to show “China before communism,” as the communist regime has worked in its 70 years of rule to systematically root out traditional culture, including belief in a higher power.

“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.”

“I actually, at the end of the show, felt quite emotional, just about all the training and everything that has to go into the performers, maybe their past lives, and what they went through just to be able to have the right to perform the way that they do today,“ Mr. Thompson said. ”At the end of the show, I felt like that just sort of had me a little bit emotional.”

The Thomases also felt moved by the divinity they felt in Shen Yun’s performance.

Daniel Thomas, a retired anesthesiologist, and Lois Thomas, a music teacher, felt hope after seeing the 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.”

“Even though they’re being suppressed now by the communists there’s still hope for the future for them because of that. It would be nice if the people in charge in China had a change of heart, could see this show and have a change of heart,” he said.

“It’s inspirational to see people put on such a beautiful show,” Mr. Thomas said. “Just above the top! Just excellent!”

For Mrs. Thomas, the show left her “breathless, I’m breathless!”
“They did dance moves that I didn’t even know were possible,” she said. “I don’t think anybody could ever do any better with the artistic performances, they were just right on—every dancer was just perfect.”
Reporting by Sherry Dong.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
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