SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Couple Thank Shen Yun for Being in America

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Couple Thank Shen Yun for Being in America
Rebecca and Dan Borneman (L) and their friends attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Youkey Theatre at RP Funding Center on Feb. 13, 2024. Yeawen Hung/The Epoch Times

LAKELAND, Fla.—The evening show of Shen Yun Performing Arts delighted the audience at the Youkey Theatre at RP Funding Center on Feb. 13. Dan Borneman, a retired senior communications designer, and Rebecca Borneman, a retired performer in musical theater, talked about how beautiful traditional Chinese culture is. “The show was fabulous,” Mr. Borneman said.

“I feel very sad for the Chinese people. I really do. There’s so many beautiful things within the Chinese culture—they’re far older than Europe and the other civilizations. China’s [had] an amazing culture,” he said.

Mrs. Borneman appreciated the quality of the dances and the orchestra: “I was in the musical theater, dance, singing, and voice. So this meant a great deal to see the movements, the choreography, the musicians—because I also play several instruments.”
Aside from just the dances, Mrs. Borneman said the whole production was beautiful. “So everything meant everything to me tonight: It was the joy. It was the movements. It was the choreography. It was the beauty of every face that was there, every heart that came off that stage, was giving to us so much joy and life ourselves,” she said.
She liked the Mongolian dance “because of the horses” and the dance of the flowers. “Every piece was special.” Shen Yun’s hosts introduce the dances with just a touch of humor. “The comedy of the announcers was very important for us to hear the language, to be a part of that,” she said. She and her husband came because friends who had seen Shen Yun three times wanted them to attend.

Mrs. Borneman was happy that Shen Yun performed there. “And tell everyone how grateful we are that you are here in America.”

She said she hopes there is more awareness of what is happening in China. “We are aware of the [organ] harvesting. We are aware of the [persecuted] groups. I know that in Congress here in America, there are people who are instituting new policies to try and help bring that to light,” she said.

She was aware of the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. “Yes, we are very much aware of that,” she said. “They are very high on our prayer list.”

Accountant Praises Shen Yun Dancers’ Hard Work

Maurice Harris and his wife attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Youkey Theatre, RP Funding Center, on Feb. 13, 2024. (Yeawen Hung/The Epoch Times)
Maurice Harris and his wife attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Youkey Theatre, RP Funding Center, on Feb. 13, 2024. Yeawen Hung/The Epoch Times

Maurice Harris, an accountant, was inspired by the entire performance, especially the stories told in dance. “The individual artists were all very good also. I enjoyed the whole thing,” he said. “It was fantastic. Each dance was a story, telling a story. Even if you didn’t understand the dance, you could see by the way they were moving exactly what the story was. I know it was explained at the beginning, but you could actually see it when they were performing.”

Through classical Chinese dance and music, Shen Yun is sharing with the world the beauty of China’s authentic 5,000 years of history. Since its founding in 2006, the company has received worldwide accolades for its mission to revive traditional Chinese culture and give people hope around the world.

Mr. Harris noted what’s happening in China. “If that’s what’s happening in China, it’s very disturbing, and I feel very lucky to be living in America. It must be very difficult for the Chinese people. Very difficult.

“It’s a very repressed country and very difficult for the people who are living there, especially when they’re not living in the city and living out of the city. I hope there’s hope. There’s always hope, always hope. As long as people have breath in their bodies, there’s hope,” he said.

Mr. Harris congratulated the performers. “I appreciated the very hard work that they put into the performance. And they’re very, very talented dancers. Very talented.”

With shows scheduled in over 200 cities and across five continents, the 2024 touring season is shaping up to be the artists’ busiest yet.
Reporting by Yeawen Hung and Yvonne Marcotte.
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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