Shen Yun Performing Arts showcased the spirit of ancient Chinese civilization through classical Chinese dance and music at the Marion Oliver McCaw Hall in Seattle, Washington, on April 4. Audience members were mesmerized by the artistry.
“The choreography was just amazing and the talent of the dancers was beyond anything I could hope or imagine. Just absolutely beautiful, stunning. And the costumes and the music and everything just flowed together so beautifully. I was very, very impressed,” said Christine Gilge, a nonprofit organization founder.
“It was beautiful. The backdrop was incredible. I love the actor, backdrop interaction. I thought it was really beautiful. The way that the transitions work between the performance and what’s going on in the background,” said Jackson Norberg, a mechanical engineer.
“Nice for us to experience a different culture. We came because we saw it was pre-communist China, so we were interested. Five thousand years, that’s a lot of history,” said Victoria Gregori, an ASL interpreter.
Since 2006, Shen Yun has toured around the world with a mission to revive 5,000 years of divinely inspired traditional Chinese culture from before communism. Shen Yun cannot perform in China today because the performance shines a light on the brutal persecution of faith by the Chinese Communist Party.
“That is an interesting thing, because for whatever reason, we don’t hear much about that in the news. I am aware of the persecution going on there. It’s one of those things where it’s just not in Western media, and you don’t hear much about it. So it is great that they have an outlet to express the persecution happening, to make people aware of it. Because otherwise a lot of people probably wouldn’t even know it’s going on,” said Joshua Wedekind, a software engineer.
“I like the fact that you do address the communist problem, challenges that are faced right now with them trying to get rid of the traditional culture, and I like the fact that this brings back some of the traditional culture that they have tried to basically stamp out in China,” said Glen Morgan, a journalist. “I think it’s very important to be able to retain those traditions and to not lose them. And I think there’s nothing worse than losing your traditions, especially when that’s been forced upon a society against their will.”
“The baritone and the words for his song, quite moving. Because that’s really where it needs to be, there is a divine power. We’re not just here by animals becoming people, or whatever the reason for evolution, it’s a foolish concept. We are created by a divine being, and we are here to serve His purpose, and so therefore we should never suppress the divine,” said Robert Gregori, a former federal service employee.
“It was beautiful. It was colorful. It was engaging. You could feel the emotions, the expressions from the dancers, shown through their facial expressions, their body movements, the costumes just lit it up and brought the message of love and hope and peace,” said Kimberley Pitcher, a company executive assistant.
Shen Yun will be performing at the Center for Performing Arts at Governors State University in University Park, Illinois, from April 10 through 13.
NTD News, Seattle, Washington
NTD is a media sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts, covering audience reactions since 2006.
From NTD News
