SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun Is Educational and Raises Awareness, Say Philadelphia Theatergoers

Mar 17, 2024

PHILADELPHIA—Watching Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Miller Theater on March 16 were Chris Harvey, an account manager, and his wife Gloria Harvey, a product manager. By the time of the intermission, the couple already had plenty of nice things to say about the performance. Mr. Harvey expressed his appreciation for the variety of dances performed throughout Shen Yun’s program, such as classical Chinese, ethnic, and folk dances.

“It’s very nice,” said Mr. Harvey. “I like the fact that it’s going into a lot of the more historical dances and going through different areas instead of just focusing most of the attention on the larger capitals and things of that nature,”

Mr. Harvey also enjoyed Shen Yun’s patented animated backdrop, which allows performers to move seamlessly between the stage and background.

“The way that they’ve interacted with the digital background, I thought that was ingenious,” he said. “That was really nice.”

“I did not know what to expect, but it’s beautiful,” said Mrs. Harvey. “It’s really very visually appealing and … I love the story. I think because of how beautiful it is, it makes it easier to consume some of the message as well. So I’m enjoying it very much.”

New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has been the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company since its inception in 2006. Its performers come from all around the world, united in their mission to revive traditional Chinese culture and the beauty and goodness of China before communism. Shen Yun currently has eight equally sized companies that tour the world simultaneously, delighting audiences in over 200 cities across more than 20 countries and spanning five continents.

According to Shen Yun’s website, traditional Chinese culture was founded on the spiritual teachings of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. Mr. Harvey felt that the performance was educational, as he did not know how spiritual Chinese culture was prior to seeing Shen Yun.

“I didn’t really have any cursory knowledge of how spirituality was viewed for the most part or the different types of spiritual ideologies within China, so it’s educational,” he said.

Mrs. Harvey complimented Shen Yun’s hand-made costumes before agreeing with her husband’s comment on Shen Yun’s educational value, referencing one of the story-based dances set in modern-day China depicting the Chinese Communist Party’s persecution of followers of faith.

“I really like how beautiful some of the dances are,” said Mrs. Harvey. “I really enjoyed the outfits.”

“Like my husband said, it’s very educational. It shows me a different side of China that I was not aware of, and I really appreciate the fact that it calls out some practices that are worrisome. It brings some awareness to that because I would have never known that personally. So I’m happy to be here and be a part of the experience.”

Mrs. Harvey also said that she could feel the positive energy coming from the performers.

“They’re happy to be there,” she said. “It shows that they really love what they do and they really believe the message they’re sharing. It definitely shows, and it feels that way.”

Reporting by Lily Sun and Wandi Zhu.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.