SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun ‘Lifted My Body’ and ‘Felt Very Spiritual,’ Says Company Owner

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Shen Yun ‘Lifted My Body’ and ‘Felt Very Spiritual,’ Says Company Owner
Holly and Kenton Stuth enjoyed Shen Yun's evening performance at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts on Feb. 16, 2024. Yeawen Hung/The Epoch Times

SAN ANTONIO, Texas—Kenton Stuth, the founder of a consulting firm, and his wife Holly had hoped to attend Shen Yun Performing Arts last year, but their plans were thwarted due to being out of town.

This year, Mr. Stuth decided to surprise his wife with tickets for an evening performance on Feb. 16, at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts.

“This was actually for Valentine’s Day. I actually prayed and said, ‘What can I do for my wife for Valentine’s Day?’ and I got this inspiration,” he said excitedly.

“I didn’t get the tickets until yesterday. It was really amazing. I signed up for [Shen Yun’s] annual membership for streaming. I’d like to take it home with me.”

Shen Yun Performing Arts was founded in 2006 by a group of leading Chinese artists who had fled the persecution of China’s ruling communist party.

In the decades since the regime’s violent takeover, Chinese traditional culture was forced to the brink of destruction.

Now in the safety of America, these New York-based artists are determined to bring China’s 5,000 years of divinely inspired culture back to life and share with everyone, the beauty and goodness of China before communism.

Mr. Stuth thought the performers’ mission to bring back traditional culture through the arts was very impressive.

“I wish I could move the way that [the dancers moved,] I like how they don’t weigh anything, just bouncing in the air like that,” he expressed.

“I’m impressed that so many people came here. The tickets aren’t cheap yet the audience is full. I was thinking that, hopefully, [Shen Yun] is going to have a big impact, a positive impact.”

Mr. Stuth was especially touched by the story-dance piece depicting the Chinese Communist Party’s persecution of Falun Gong—an ancient spiritual belief in the Buddhist tradition. Its followers uphold the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance.

He said the main character’s steadfast faith even in the face of unfathomable brutality was “really beautiful.”

“I read about [the persecution,] I understood that dance,” Mr. Stuth explained.

“In fact, years ago, there was a show of [human] bodies that were preserved. The Chinese government said [the bodies] were those of criminals. At the time I was in the medical field and I was really fascinated by it, but I went back and thought about it, it’s really terrible how those bodies came to exist.”

Shen Yun’s show consists of a collection of short performances that traverse the dynasties throughout the expansive landscapes of China.

Using classical Chinese, folk, and ethnic dances, as well as solo musical performances, the artists recount tales from ancient times to the modern day.

Referring to the solo performance by Shen Yun’s soprano, Mr. Stuth said, “It was outstanding. Her voice is amazing.”

“It kind of lifted my body a little bit. It felt very spiritual,” he added.

The lyrics told the message that there’s someone—the Creator—that’s really taking care of us and “it’s just nice to be reminded of that.”

Reporting by Yeawen Hung 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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