SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun Is Heartwarming and Shows a Lot About Good and Evil, Says Louisiana Theatergoer

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Shen Yun Is Heartwarming and Shows a Lot About Good and Evil, Says Louisiana Theatergoer
Joanna and Kenneth Wiedrich attended Shen Yun at the Heymann Performing Arts Center, on Jan. 16, 2024. Sonia Wu/The Epoch Times

LAFAYETTE, La.—Shen Yun Performing Arts opened the first of its two shows at the Heymann Performing Arts Center on Jan. 16 to an enthusiastic audience. Business owner Kenneth Wiedrich and his wife, a university counselor, were in attendance.

The couple thought the programs were amazing. Mrs. Wiedrich, in particular, loved how spiritual the performance was.

“It was wonderful. The dances were beautiful. I loved that it was actually very spiritual,” she said.

“It’s giving the message that we should follow our heart and what our spirit tells us—the good things—traditions and things that teach us to do good, and not the things that would cause us to do evil. It’s just beautiful.”

As one of the oldest civilizations in the world, China’s 5,000 years of history is filled with breathtaking legends and rich traditions. Yet, within just a few decades of the Chinese communists’ rise to power, this magnificent culture was completely destroyed.
The spread of atheism quickly eradicated Chinese people’s belief in the divine. The cherished virtues and values learned from the teachings of Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism disappeared overnight.

Today, the New York-based Shen Yun is working to revive this lost civilization and bring it back to the world through dance and music, the beauty of pre-communist China.

“I was amazed by many things about [Shen Yun,]” Ms. Wiedrich continued. “All the stories were heartwarming, and they showed you a lot about good and evil—How the good can win if people have faith—continue to hope.”

Mr. Wiedrich, too, said Shen Yun was “very good and uplifting.”

For him, the most moving part of the evening was the story-based dance raising awareness for the persecution of Falun Gong in modern-day China.

Mr. Wiedrich is already familiar with the Chinese Communist Party’s forced organ transplant from Falun Gong practitioners—a peaceful group of people upholding the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance.

Seeing it presented on stage was even more impactful and emotional, he said.

“I’ve read about how the Falun Gong [practitioners] are used for organ harvests because they’re very healthy, and [the communist party] wants their organs. It just breaks my heart. It breaks my heart.”

Brad LeBlanc (R) attended Shen Yun's evening performance at the He-man Performing Arts Center on Jan. 16, 2024. (Sonia Wu/The Epoch Times)
Brad LeBlanc (R) attended Shen Yun's evening performance at the He-man Performing Arts Center on Jan. 16, 2024. Sonia Wu/The Epoch Times

Also in the audience was geologist Brad LeBlanc, who thought the show was “really superb.”

“I was inspired by the discipline it took to create this kind of dance and artistry. It was really just superb. We didn’t realize that there are eight [companies] touring the world at the same time,” he said.

“We understand that communist China is trying to prevent these shows from being presented. So we’re glad that [Shen Yun] has continued to persevere like they have. That’s good. We’ve been blessed by it.”
Due to Shen Yun’s focus on reviving traditional culture and presenting the truth of events under communist rule in present-day China, it is currently forbidden by the regime to perform in China.

Mr. LeBlanc loved the three principles—truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance—that were introduced in the performance and will be taking those home with him.

“We liked that message, and we certainly caught that message tonight easily. That was very good,” he said, adding that he will be sharing his experience at Shen Yun with his friends and family.

“Superb artistry, superb choreography, superb orchestra, and solo performances. It’s just really good.”

Reporting by Sonia Wu and Jennifer Tseng.
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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