SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun Is ‘A Call to Come Back to the Divine Influence,’ Says Lt. Col. Lohmeier

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BOISE, Idaho—Public speaker and author Matthew Lohmeier was full of praise for all the “divine” aspects in Shen Yun after seeing the New York-based company’s performance on Nov. 2.

“[The performance is] a call to come back to the divine influence,” Mr. Lohmeier said. “It’s a message, that despite the fact that it originates with Chinese culture and performance, it resonates with societies across the globe.”

Matthew Lohmeier and his wife Sara McConkie Lohmeier at the Shen Yun Performing Arts performance at Morrison Center for the Performing Arts, in Boise, Idaho, on Nov. 2, 2021. (NTD Television)
Matthew Lohmeier and his wife Sara McConkie Lohmeier at the Shen Yun Performing Arts performance at Morrison Center for the Performing Arts, in Boise, Idaho, on Nov. 2, 2021. NTD Television

Mr. Lohmeier, a vocal critic of marxism and communist infiltration, is a former lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Space Force, and the author of “Irresistible Revolution: Marxism’s Goal of Conquest & the Unmaking of the American Military.”

As someone who has an in-depth understanding of communist China, Mr. Lohmeier shared his thoughts on Shen Yun and how it is reviving China’s traditions that have been all but lost after decades of communist rule, and how so many of these traditions and values portrayed in the performance are universal.
“We’ve heard for many months about the show. Everyone has rave reviews and for good reason. The Chinese culture [was] beautiful before 1949 when the Chinese Communist Party took over China, and it’s really beautiful for the world to see what ancient Chinese culture was really all about,” he said.

“I thought the show was phenomenal. A very important, timely message in a world that’s giving in to the communist impulse.”

He also expressed his appreciation for the artists and their talent.
“[I] couldn’t be more grateful for the work these performers do,” said Mr. Lohmeier, who attended the performance with his wife. “We both thought it was inspirational, and the dancers, the music, the instruments—everything portrays that divine spirit. I thought it was very beautiful.”
Shen Yun Performing Arts curtain call at Morrison Center for the Performing Arts, in Boise, on Nov. 2, 2021. (NTD Television)
Shen Yun Performing Arts curtain call at Morrison Center for the Performing Arts, in Boise, on Nov. 2, 2021. NTD Television
He added that the performance brings hope and harmony to the world.
It makes me feel hope that there are good people in every culture across the world, who are in tune with that divine spirit, who are seeking for freedom and liberty.
Matthew Lohmeier

“It makes me feel hope that there are good people in every culture across the world, who are in tune with that divine spirit, who are seeking for freedom and liberty, despite the encroachment upon our liberties from tyrannical regimes like communist China,” he said.

The closing piece of the performance portrays a scene from modern-day society. Mr. Lohmeier said he felt that the dance portrayed how things have changed compared to humanity’s traditions.
“You have a stark contrast between what we see taking place in the day-to-day world, both in the United States and in modern-day China, with that ancient or more traditional classical Chinese culture,” he said.
“You get to see everyone walking around the stage with their cellphones in their hands; it’s really a stark contrast between how beautiful life can be when humans live in peace and harmony, and the kind of society that we’ve built for ourselves today that’s built on corrupt and false traditions that lack the divine spirit.”

When recalling the moment in the dance when natural disaster strikes, Mr. Lohmeier made connections with the meaning behind such disasters from other cultures.

“That’s the kind of tradition that belongs to all cultures. It belongs to the Judeo-Christian tradition as well. There’s this end-times doom and gloom theme because mankind brings that destruction upon themselves by their own actions. And to see that that is a part of the ancient Chinese [culture]—maybe divinely inspired tradition—there’s a common thread or theme that runs throughout all religions, cultures when they are divinely or truly inspired,” he said.

“I sensed a warning in the performance. We’ve become so disconnected from that divine spirit.”

Reporting by NTD Television and Maria Han.
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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