Audiences in Poland, Spain, and the U.S. Captivated by Shen Yun: “Beautiful Like a Myth”

 

“It Was Spiritually Uplifting”

Andy Landis-Halingstad, a writer, former dancer, theater songwriter, and student mentor, saw Shen Yun in Billings, Montana, on March 4.

“Stunning. It’s beautiful. It was spiritually uplifting,” Ms. Landis-Halingstad said.

“It was very informative about what’s happening in the world. I felt like the title was perfect, about the beauty in the divine and the beauty in humanity. [It] really moved me a lot. I felt like it was very brave, fun, funny, joyous, and uplifting, and at the end, good triumphs over evil. I mean, it was wonderful. It was wonderful.

“I’m most interested in making plays that move the human heart, fill the creative spirit, and draw people towards one another. I want my plays to inspire truthful conversation and expose the depths and width of our human experiences,” she said.

She said it is important for people to see something like Shen Yun nowadays. “I think it’s important because I think that it told us about the Chinese traditions that we don’t understand, that we don’t know, you know, here in the States.

“We don’t understand a lot of that and everything that we’re learning is not necessarily helpful for us to understand. I mean, I love history, and so much of what we learned in the show, we didn’t know. And you also brought to the present some of the things that are happening in China that we really need to know about which was so brave. And I really appreciated you doing that. It was very brave,” she said.

Ms. Landis-Halingstad described her feelings as she watched. “I kind of got teary during a couple of the performances… [and it] still makes me tear up. It grieved me to see the suffering, and yet it uplifted me to see them overcoming,” she said.

“Ancient history has the belief in life after death, and that was very well represented. The triumph of good over evil really moved me and uplifted me. So thank you for that,” she said.

As a former professional dancer, Ms. Landis-Halingstad was impressed by the dancers. “So, the dancing in here was unbelievable. The balance, the perfection, the unity, and the ways that they danced was stunning to me. The colors, the beauty. The way that the performers would jump off the stage and come up on the screen! That was just amazing. And the colors of the water and the flowers that you have in the show is just incredible.

“The dancers were just superb, every single one of them. I watched their faces and I was blown away by the joy that they—and they have to be tired by the end. I was thinking they had to be tired. But they were joyous. Yeah, they were amazing,” she said.

The vocalists’ lyrics also made an impact on her. “The songs that they sang, the lyrics of the songs, as someone who used to be a professional songwriter, the lyrics were stunning. They were sacred, and divine, and the message of good overcoming evil was very, very clear in the lyrics. And I feel like everyone should see that, because of the hope it gave us,” Ms. Landis-Halingstad said.

She hoped more people would see Shen Yun to learn more about traditional Chinese culture being divinely inspired. “I believe that. I think that’s important for us to know, for us to understand. And I appreciate so much what you’re doing and how you brought that to life for us. I wish everyone could see it. Really, it was great,” she said.

 

“The Love That Was Meant for Humanity”

Cristina Capatina, director of operations for a life insurance company, saw Shen Yun with her daughter and granddaughter in Costa Mesa, California, on February 28.

“Beautiful. We love the music. We love that reviving of that beautiful culture,” Ms. Capatina said.

She said her 5-year-old granddaughter wants to start ballet after seeing the performance. “I mean, wonderful skills and a wonderful orchestra. The music and dancers are fantastic. I am very impressed,” said Ms. Capatina.

Ms. Capatina is from Romania. She spoke about Shen Yun’s mission of showing the world “China before communism.”

“To me, coming from a communist country myself, it touched [me]… because it’s so true. It’s not right what’s happening, and that’s why we were here. I hope to preserve the liberty in this country,” she said.

Ms. Capatina saw what was behind the beauty of the performance. “It’s discipline, it’s resourcefulness, it’s leadership, and to me, it’s really, really hard work – good work ethics. So definitely, all combined – it is really what life is all about,” she said.

“I’m a firm believer,” she added, relating her faith in the divine aspects of traditional Chinese culture. “And I’m a Christian so, to me, it is the Divine, the God who created such a wonderful world in Eden, the garden of Eden. And man’s sin was actually what corrupted this. The atheism and all the evolution – it’s false. It’s not the truth.”

She was moved by the key values in the performance. “Absolutely compassion, truth, and the love that was meant for humanity. But it was perverted. That persecution seemed to speak a lot to me just because we experienced it in Romania. I’m from Romania originally. It’s really resonated again, bringing back a lot of memories,” she said.

“I know lots of Christians still suffer. We are praying that God will continue to make miracles, and then bring that light into this world.

“The truth is that God loves this world and created so much beauty for all of us to enjoy. I hope the message will get revived and brings back what He originally intended,” she said.

 

“It’s Absolutely Pristine”

Todd Hewey, a producer for Christian television station Inspiration Ministries, and Jill Horton, a special education teacher, saw Shen Yun in Charlotte, North Carolina, on March 4.

Mr. Hewey appreciated many aspects of the performance, including “the colors, the beauty of the pageantry, the artistry, the athleticism of the dancers. The humor, I really liked that a lot. The orchestra was spectacular.”

“I enjoy the taste of Chinese culture and history, and the dancing is entertaining,” said Ms. Horton.

“It’s marvelous to see stuff that goes back into China, throughout tradition, and you just don’t see that as much, except here with this show. I really appreciate that,” Mr. Hewey said.

“It’s absolutely pristine,” said Mr. Hewey, from the standpoint of a producer. Shen Yun has an all-new program every year, which he observed would be “a full-time task to create new dances, new moves, the choreography, the music, new stories. Good gracious, that’s a lot of work!”

“The color and motion is really mesmerizing. With the music, everyone glows. Everyone glows on stage, and that comes across—that joy of them performing and dancing,” he added.

“It’s inspirational in that you’ve got people who are for traditional China, for their faith that they have there that they practice, and that they’re also talking about the negativism of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party), which has squashed so much creativity in China. And so, when you see this, it gives you hope that other Chinese people will take that hope and throw off the chains of the CCP,” he said.

“China needs to be free… China needs to be free so that the Chinese people can practice what they want to practice, to do what they’d like to do, without fear of repercussions from an evil group of totalitarians that’s known as the Chinese Communist Party, who are not the Chinese.

“Chinese culture is ancient and did so much for the world. Since the CCP has come in, it has brought a darkness over that country and the countries surrounding it.

“More people have to see it… More people have to see what these performers are doing,” said Mr. Hewey.

To Shen Yun’s performers and Artistic Director, Mr. Hewey wanted to say, “Thank you for your hard work and making a marvelous performance. It was very inspirational.”

 

“Beautiful Like a Myth”

Xavier Arrieta, the former mayor of Azkoitia, saw Shen Yun in Logroño, Spain, on March 3.

“Beautiful like a myth. Exquisite and delicate. The music and everything were stunning and wonderful. It’s definitely worth seeing,” said Mr. Arrieta.

“For me, the exquisiteness of Shen Yun’s clothing [left me the deepest impression]. Also the techniques of Shen Yun’s dancers. Every moment of the performance was the perfect synchronisation between music and dance. There’s also the effect of the background backdrop, which lets you enter other dimensions. Truly wonderful.

“[In the performance] you can already see a path. I don’t want to say that it is a difficult path. But simply put, this is a kind of path that could exist in China after having gone through a communist revolution. You can see a sign that Chinese people have been and are being crushed in a fast way. Shen Yun is a kind of path that would improve China’s situation. They presented this path through dance and characters from China’s ancient history and myths,” he said.

 

Officials from California’s Orange County Welcome Shen Yun

Vicente Sarmiento and Donald P. Wagner, members of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, respectively issued a certificate and a proclamation commending Shen Yun.

Mr. Wagner, Orange County Third District Supervisor who represents over 630,000 residents, personally presented a proclamation at Shen Yun’s March 1 performance at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa.

“The unique classical, ethnic, and folk dances of Shen Yun Performing Arts are based on ancient myths, legends, and heroes yet remain timeless,” Mr. Wagner wrote.

In addition to entertainment, the performances serve as “morality plays that share lessons on good character, virtue, and values that shape a beautiful society,” he wrote.

“This may be the show that Beijing doesn’t want you to see, but… here in Orange County [we’re] happy to show it,” he told The Epoch Times at the performance.

*****

 

Chinese version available
(Clearwisdom)