ROSEMONT, Ill.—Abel DeJesus, the CEO of a marketing company and entrepreneur, said usually he’s the one who enjoys seeing live performances, but this time, it was his wife who insisted they see Shen Yun Performing Arts.
“It’s 10 stars,” Mr. DeJesus said at the Rosemont Theatre the evening of March 16. “Oh, it’s awesome.”
New York-based Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance company and uses music and dance to revive 5,000 years of Chinese civilization.
“It’s way different from what you see on TV or hear about it and everything once you experience it. It’s just a great experience. Everyone should watch it,” Mr. DeJesus said. “I recommend it to everybody.”
The China seen in Shen Yun certainly isn’t the China of today under communist rule, he pointed out. In fact, in recent years Shen Yun has come to describe its performance as “China before communism.”
Mr. DeJesus said the stories he saw in Shen Yun were universal. Even thousands of years ago, halfway around the world, people shared similar stories, themes, and values, and that was mind-blowing, he said.
For example, in one comedic vignette, a restaurant owner was faced with workers who were slacking and a badly-timed health inspection. Mr. DeJesus, who recently opened a restaurant himself, enjoyed the commonalities. In a separate, more serious vignette, people of faith displayed courage and hope in the face of persecution.
“That’s something that happens here, in the United States, and all over the world,” he said.
Mr. DeJesus said it was an emotional performance, and was moved by various messages.
“It’s a great experience,” he said.
With reporting by Sherry Dong.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.