SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun ‘Changed My Perception of Chinese Culture,’ Says Milwaukee Patron

Feb 18, 2023

MILWAUKEE—For some, seeing Shen Yun Performing Arts is something they’ve dreamt of for years before all the right conditions line up and they get the chance to attend the performance.

“I have seen the advertisement for many, many years. I always wanted to but didn’t get the chance. This time it happened,” said Ms. Kaylee Foulke. “It’s phenomenal.”

Ms. Foulke saw the performance with Mr. Steve Cupal at Miller High Life Theatre in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on the afternoon of Feb. 18. For Mr. Cupal, the traffic and parking conditions had made it a tense trip leading up to the performance, but the moment the music began, all that tension went away.

“When I got here—I felt relaxed,” said Mr. Cupal. “It’s very good, very good.”

New York-based Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance company, and its mission is to revive 5,000 years of Chinese civilization, or, as its new tagline summarizes, “China before communism.”

It certainly was a new side of China for the couple.

“It actually surprised me, because my impression of China is nothing like that,” Mr. Cupal said.

Specifically, the fact that the ancient Chinese were deeply spiritual, believed in a Creator, and revered the heavens, showed Mr. Cupal that he had more in common with traditional Chinese culture than he realized. It reminded him of his own faith, and the shared, universal values gave him a positive feeling.

“To know that that is part of Chinese culture kind of warms my heart, actually,” he said. “I didn’t know that. I thought it was purely basically atheist. But that’s not an overall history. It’s just recent history.”

Since the Chinese Communist Party seized power some 70 years ago, they have imposed socialism and atheism and launched several campaigns to root out traditional culture.

Since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006, it has become a worldwide sensation, opening audiences’ eyes to what China used to be.

“It definitely had an impact on me!” Mr. Cupal said. “It definitely changed my perception of Chinese culture.”

And as a physical therapist, Mr. Cupal was in awe at what the dancers were capable of.

“Very high energy,” he commented. “They almost defy gravity, and how they move and the speed at which they move, it’s amazing, just really amazing.”

It wasn’t merely exciting, there was a flow, he explained, “a flow of energy.”

“The way it was choreographed and you could see the individuals flowing and then how they flowed as a group,” he said. “The way it was orchestrated and put together—just awesome.”

Reporting by Michael Huang.

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