SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun Shows a Spirit That Communism Can’t Crush, Says Doctor

May 04, 2024
SHARE
Shen Yun Shows a Spirit That Communism Can’t Crush, Says Doctor
Daniel and Adeline Elliott enjoyed Shen Yun at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis on May 4, 2024. (Sherry Dong/The Epoch Times)

MINNEAPOLIS—Daniel Elliott found himself moved by the layers of meaning behind each movement on stage at the Orpheum Theatre, watching Shen Yun Performing Arts.

“It’s not just a dance,” he said. “It’s the meaning behind it, the history behind it.”

“It’s incredible. I’ve never seen something like this before,” said Mr. Elliott, a doctor, who saw the performance with his wife, Adeline, on May 4.

New York-based Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance company, with a mission to revive 5,000 years of Chinese civilization through music and dance. Indeed, classical Chinese dance is a form that requires an inner feeling to drive outward motion, and audience members often report this to be their experience. Shen Yun’s name, referencing the divinely inspired culture of ancient China, means “the beauty of divine beings dancing.”

“To see the interpretations of [this] dance and the cultures shown, and the history behind it is very fascinating,” Mr. Elliott said. “ It’s an eye-opening experience.”

He described the beauty of the costumes, details, and “flow” of the artists. “Fascinating, beautiful, well-performed, all those things. They’re emotionally moving.”

“[You] feel moved ... you can see it, you can feel it. The motion, and the beauty, and the faces of the dancers, and the skill of the dancers, which I appreciate, all the hard work that went into that,” he said.

Mr. Elliott added that he was inspired by the creativity evident in the creation of Shen Yun.

“The work that went in by the creators of this to figure out the movement and how it inspires the movement. It’s deep—I don’t know how to put it into words,” he said.

Mr. Elliott added that he had learned something about modern China through seeing Shen Yun as well. While China was once known as the “land of the divine” and a deeply spiritual civilization, China today is ruled by an atheist communist regime that has for decades persecuted people of faith.

“We in the United States are oblivious to a lot of the things going on,” Mr. Elliott said.

Yet, it’s a reality for many Shen Yun artists. Many practice Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, which is a spiritual meditation practice that teaches truth, compassion, and forbearance. Its adherents believe in God, and the communist regime has subjected Falun Gong practitioners to ongoing, violent persecution since 1999. Some of Shen Yun’s artists still have family in China, but because of their beliefs and portraying this persecution in art, they cannot set foot in China.

“That is going on now,” Mr. Elliott said. “Eye-opening.”

Mr. Elliott said that looking at China and the former Soviet Union,  spirituality was “suppressed aggressively, but it is still there.”

“The spirit of the people and their desire for spirituality and the pursuit of ... of a higher being is still there,” he said. “They can’t crush it. They can try to crush it, but they can’t completely crush it.”

“They cannot kill it. It’s been tried in multiple different cultures,” he said. “It’s been tried and has not been done. And it never will be completely done.”

Mrs. Elliott agreed and said the portrayal of what is happening in China is important to share.

“For me, I think that’s the most important thing,” she 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.
Related Topics
shen yun
SHARE