SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Cuban Appreciates Traditions Presented in Shen Yun

Apr 22, 2023

ROSEMONT, Illinois—Hector Flores, a deputy executive director, and Nancy Flores, a former manager, watched Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Rosemont Theatre on April 22.

“I loved it,” Mrs. Flores said. “I love the music, I love the choreography, I just loved everything. I love the costumes, I love the way everything was engaging. It was just wonderful to see.”

Mr. Flores said he appreciated Shen Yun’s colors and its storytelling about the history of communism.

“Hopefully, the goodness will prevail over the devil, over evil,” he said.

Based in New York, Shen Yun was founded in 2006 and is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company. Now with eight equally-sized companies touring the world simultaneously, Shen Yun’s mission is to revive traditional Chinese culture and give its audiences a glimpse of pre-communist China.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Flores said they enjoyed the story-based dances in Shen Yun’s program. Some of the story-based dances are set in modern-day China and depict the Chinese Communist Party’s persecution of followers of faith, which Mr. and Mrs. Flores felt they were able to connect to because Mrs. Flores grew up in communist Cuba.

“I think everyone deserves their freedom,” Mrs. Flores said. “I think when [freedom of religion] is taken away, you take a lot of liberties away from the people.”

“I hope one day China becomes independent,” she said. “China, free from communism, because communism is very hard on the people, not necessarily on the government because the government will always have more, but the people themselves—they suffer because they don’t have enough.”

Mrs. Flores said that she also appreciated the spiritual elements of Shen Yun’s performance, which are a hallmark of traditional Chinese culture.

“I love the spirituality. I love the preaching of kindness, the preaching of traditions, the preaching of respect and honor. I love those traditions. I’m glad they brought it out.”

“I appreciate not only spiritual strength but the physical strength because it takes a lot to bounce around like that,” Mr. Flores said.

“I love them,” Mrs. Flores said. “I love their freedom, their art, their beauty, their culture, their finesse in ease as they’re dancing. They’re incredible.”

Reporting by Charlie Lu 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.