SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun Is ‘Absolutely Exquisite,’ Says Bank VP

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MINNEAPOLIS—Bank Vice President John Young attended Shen Yun’s evening performance at the Orpheum Theatre on May 4. He was accompanied by his daughter, Madeline Moon, and granddaughter Juliette.

Watching the show for the first time, Mr. Young found the experience “absolutely exquisite.”

“It’s exquisite. Phenomenal. I’m amazed at how they move together in unison perfectly. It’s just beautiful,” he expressed.

Shen Yun Performing Arts is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company. The New York-based artists have made it their mission to revive China’s 5,000 years of divinely-inspired culture that was destroyed by decades of communist rule and the regime’s spread of atheism.

Since its establishment in 2006, Shen Yun has grown to include eight equally sized companies that tour the world simultaneously to showcase the beauty of pre-communist China.

Mr. Young was particularly moved by the story-based dance that highlighted the ongoing religious persecution and the forced organ harvesting from innocent people by the Chinese communist regime.

“I was moved when [the police] took [the girl’s] heart. That was a moment where I teared up. It does move the soul, absolutely. I’ve been in joy and also in sadness. [Shen Yun] did a great job,” he said.

As a spiritual person, Mr. Young feels a strong connection to the divine-inspired themes of traditional Chinese culture. He appreciated Shen Yun’s opening piece depicting celestial beings descending from the heavens to bring culture to humanity.

“In the very beginning, [the performance] talked about how we were divine and then came [to the earth.] I believe that God isn’t far away but in us. We are very close to the divine incarnate. It’s in all of us,” he said.

Ms. Moon, too, enjoyed the performance.

Since her husband’s family was from Korea, she and her daughter Juliette can relate to much of the culture showcased in the show. “It felt very comfortable. It feels like home, watching it live,” she said.

For Ms. Moon, the value of Shen Yun is “in expressing the beauty, the history, and the historical significance [of Chinese culture.]”

“It’s expressed in a way that is beautiful and can touch the hearts of the audience and the people watching,” she stated.

“The struggles that you see the Chinese people have throughout history—the triumphs and the valleys and the sorrows—are quite beautifully expressed not only through movement but through storytelling and music all combined.”

To satisfy popular demand, Shen Yun artists can be expected to return each year with a brand-new set of choreography and musical compositions. So, even for returning audiences, every show is a surprise.
Reporting by Sherry Dong and Jennifer Tseng.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
Editor’s note: This article was updated to correct the relationship between the interviewed audience members. The Epoch Times regrets the error. 
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