SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun Performing Arts ‘Really Opens Your Mind,’ Says Arizona Theatergoer

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Shen Yun Performing Arts ‘Really Opens Your Mind,’ Says Arizona Theatergoer
Michelle McBride and Jenny Gordon enjoyed Shen Yun's evening performance at the Phoenix Orpheum on Feb. 17, 2024. Lily Yu/The Epoch Times

PHOENIX, Ariz.—On Feb. 17, school teacher Michelle McBride and librarian Jenny Gordon attended Shen Yun’s evening performance at the Phoenix Orpheum. It marked the penultimate show of the company’s eight consecutive performances at the theater.

Ms. McBride thought the artists did a great job of bringing the stories alive.

“I loved it. It was really, really beautiful. I enjoyed the dances, and I was crying. Beautiful and touching. Very touching,” she exclaimed.

“You really saw human lives being acted out. Honestly, it was great because there were funny moments and beautiful moments, and then there were really sad moments. I felt like I got hit when [a character] got hit. I was like, ‘Oh, my goodness.’”

Founded by leading Chinese artists who had fled persecution by China’s communist regime, Shen Yun Performing Arts’ mission is to bring back China’s lost culture and showcase the beauty of China before communism.
Every year, the New York-based performing arts company presents a brand-new set of programs to audiences in prestigious venues around the world.
Ms. McBride would recommend her friends to see the show because “it has really good expression and good storytelling.”

“It really made me think about—especially because of it’s China before communism—just how much culture has been lost because of [the communist regime.] I was kind of getting that yearning even though I’m not part of that culture,” she said.

Though Shen Yun has met with global acclaim since its founding in 2006, it is currently banned by the Chinese Communist Party from performing in China.
Ms. Gordon, who underwent classical singing training before transitioning to her current career, especially enjoyed the solo performance by the erhu—an ancient, two-stringed Chinese instrument that is reminiscent of the human voice.

“I loved it. It’s amazing how it’s only two strings, but it’s really about where your fingers [are placed.] It’s kind of like a violin in how it creates just so many different sounds. That was really cool,” she stated.

The whole show, “is just really well done. A nice little peek into a different kind of culture and getting to hear a different perspective.”

Ms. McBride chimed in that because media propaganda paints China in a false image—“seeing a glimpse of [the culture] through the eyes of the people really opens your mind to understanding that not everything is as it seems.”

“Communism is not good, and I know, sadly, that the U.S. is probably heading that direction. It kind of saddens me to see how it destroys a culture and a people no matter where [it is] in the world,” she expressed.

“What really touched me about the whole performance was, ‘Wow, these people are just trying to live their lives, and [communism] just comes in and tear it apart.’ You see the heartache, the love, and all these different things that come out to the forefront.”
Reporting by Lily Yu 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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