Shen Yun Performing Arts brought traditional dance, music, and culture to Minneapolis, Minnesota, on March 27. Audience members described the performance as top-notch and awe-inspiring.
“We just wait for Shen Yun to show up because it’s one of probably, I would say, three or four of the very top dance companies in the world today,” said Art Galbraith, a former medical technology consultant. “It’s just amazing to watch these people dance. And they do things that nobody else can do. And when they go across the stage, it’s like they don’t bob up and down. They float, they glide. It’s just absolutely amazing.”
“When you’re visual, and you see the colors and the clothing and the expression, it tells you the story without words,” said Charlotte Wiest, the former owner of an interior design company. “It’s just happy. I’m sitting there totally fascinated. I really am.”
Jim Wiest, a retired engineering manager, said, “Watching what they can do on stage, the athleticism and the balance and everything like that is just fantastic to see.”
Mr. Galbraith said, “They dance, and they dress in a very inspirational way, like they’re living at a higher plateau in life. The gowns are beautiful beyond all comprehension. And all year long, I tell people, I say, when Shen Yun comes, you will never, ever see a dance company production like this. This is just transcendental.”
Featuring classical Chinese dance, a live orchestra, and original storytelling, Shen Yun aims to revive thousands of years of Chinese culture and values from before communism. Audience members said the message serves as a positive guide for today’s society.
Mr. Galbraith said, “Just a lot of the tilt towards spirituality and treating other people well, which sadly the rest of the world doesn’t seem to do very well at all, and we’re in a horrible state of war and conflict all the time, and yet this kind of points the way to, there’s a better way to do things, a better way of life.”
“I love it. I love different cultures and to see how they project their life and their story, and this is very much so,” said Ms. Wiest.
Founded in New York in 2006, Shen Yun has never been able to perform in China – partly due to its portrayal of the Chinese Communist Party’s persecution of faith. The company has faced harassment by the Chinese regime while overseas. Audience members praised the artists’ resilience and courage in the face of adversity.
Mr. Galbraith said, “You have to keep doing this. You just have to keep showing the artistic, because that rises above. People remember the beautiful stuff, the beauty in the world today. What your dancers are doing, your performance, they’re providing beauty in the world today that we don’t have.”
Mr. Wiest said,“I think that it takes a lot of courage and a lot of faith in what you have, and I see the different religion that they were working through here and how that was helpful for them to be able to do that.”
Mr. Galbraith said, “Keep doing it. Keep coming back. Keep expanding.”
Ms. Wiest said, “They’re doing a very, very good job, and it’s fascinating to watch and to admire it. I really do.”
Shen Yun is scheduled to perform in New York City, Seattle, Boston, and other cities in early April.
NTD News, Minneapolis, Minnesota
NTD is a media sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts, covering audience reactions since 2006.
