SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun’s Innovative Backdrop Is ‘Amazing and Super Creative,’ Says Artist

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Shen Yun’s Innovative Backdrop Is ‘Amazing and Super Creative,’ Says Artist
Debi L. Hadley and her sister-in-law, Debbie Hadley, enjoyed Shen Yun's evening performance at the Phoenix Orpheum on Feb. 13, 2024. Lily Yu/The Epoch Times

PHOENIX, Ariz.—Debi L. Hadley, an artist experienced in crafting backgrounds for plays and pageants, was thoroughly impressed by Shen Yun Performing Arts on Feb. 13, at the Phoenix Orpheum.

“I was just really impressed. It was amazing and super creative,” she said, referring to Shen Yun’s innovative 3D backdrop projection.

“I liked how the timing [of the dance and music] went so well with the background. It was just beautiful. I appreciated the work and creativity that went into that.”

According to the company’s website, Shen Yun’s patented 3D digital technology works together with the performers to “extend the stage to infinite realms” and brings “storytelling without limits” to its audience.

After the evening show, Ms. Hadley said she found inspiration for her own artwork going forward.

“There is always inspiration in something like that because it showed something new—It just gets your mind thinking about, ‘Wow, how did they do that? Where can that lead you?’” she expressed.

“I loved the colors; they were really pretty and vivid. The costumes were beautiful. There were just so many moving parts to all of it—you have the orchestra too. It’s just beautiful.”
Based in New York, Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company. The artists’ mission is to bring back China’s 5,000 years of divinely inspired culture that had been destroyed by decades of communist rule.
Prior to the regime’s spread of atheism, the teachings of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism were indelible parts of Chinese life. Shen Yun’s goal is to share with everyone the beauty of China before communism.

Ms. Hadley said she “saw a lot of symbolism” within the dances.

“I loved the message. We all just want to be free—to have the right to learn, to have knowledge, and to be good,” she stated.

“That’s hard when someone is trying to push you down, keep you suppressed, and keep you from things that you really should know in history. There’s a lot of history that gets erased throughout time. That’s not right. I loved that message.”

Referring to the communist party’s ongoing persecution of the people of faith in modern-day China, Ms. Hadley said we should all have the right to choose.

“We all have the right to be who we are and to worship as long as we’re not hurting other people. It’s our divine right,” she said.

“With us being [in America,] we’ve always just felt like we had our freedom, but compared to [in China,] there’s a lot of things that you can’t do over there. It’s just sad that they’re not allowed to learn and express themselves.”

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 communist regime to perform in China.

To the artists, Ms. Hadley would like to say, “Keep up the good fight.”

“We count our blessings here and do what we can do. I think, we as Americans, need to fight for our rights because we’re losing them little by little. So, [the message] to me is, don’t let it get that far. A great message.”

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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