Lisa and George Kerr at Shen Yun Performing Arts at the State Theatre, in New Jersey, on April 1, 2023. Weiyong Zhu/The Epoch Times
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J.—For their fourth time seeing Shen Yun Performing Arts since the company’s inception in 2006, Lisa Kerr, vice president of sales in health care, and her husband, George Kerr, were again left inspired by the performance at the State Theatre New Jersey on April 1.
“I absolutely love it … it’s just beautiful visually [and] very inspiring,” she said, “and this is our fourth time seeing it!”
“The dancers are just amazing—there’s no one else that dances like that,” she added.
Based in New York, Shen Yun Performing Arts is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance company. Along with folk dances and solo performances, the production depicts story-based pieces that tell tales from ancient times to the modern day.
Aside from the visual beauty of Shen Yun, Mrs. Kerr greatly appreciates the spiritual messages of faith and hope conveyed throughout the production.
China was once known as “The Land of the Divine,” and Shen Yun presents this culture by drawing upon the Middle Kingdom’s Buddhist and Daoist philosophies. As such, the performance often includes spiritually uplifting messages, according to the company’s website.
“It seems like we’re coming toward the end of times with all this craziness and they’re saying have faith … have faith for renewal,” she said, “if you have faith … everything will be alright.”
“[Shen Yun] just brings out the kindness in people,” she added.
‘China Before Communism’
Christine Curnam, VP of Princeton Mercer Regional Chamber of Commerce, also attended the Shen Yun performance at the State Theatre New Jersey on April 1.
“The technical skills were amazing,” she said, “the synchronization, the acrobatics … everything about it was amazing!”
“[I’m] loving learning the history behind the dance as well as some of the Chinese culture from the past,” she added.
Christine Curnam, VP of Princeton Mercer Regional Chamber of Commerce, at Shen Yun at the State Theatre, in New Jersey, on April 1, 2023. Frank Liang/The Epoch Times
Shen Yun aims to revive China’s 5,000-year-old traditional culture, which has been on the brink of extinction since the Chinese communist regime seized power in 1949. Shen Yun says its performances demonstrate “China before communism.”
“I think it’s very important to show the history of China before communism,” said Mrs. Curnam, “they did an amazing job at bringing that to light and sharing [with] the general public here.”
“People that [come] from communist regions or people that are under the rule of communism, have had something prior to that,” she added, “they had freedom to know that they were persecuted and now don’t have that freedom … it’s a very sad thing.”
“We have to respect everyone’s freedoms and hopefully we have that here in the U.S., as well, for all cultures.”
‘Makes You Feel Uplifted’
Photographer Bill Higgins at the State Theatre, in New Jersey, on April 1, 2023. Sherry Dong/The Epoch Times
Bill Higgins, a professional photographer, was also inspired by the Shen Yun performance at the State Theatre New Jersey on April 1.
“It was spectacular … more than what I expected,” he said, “the production was phenomenal!”
“The color was fantastic; the lighting was great [and] the whole composition of the stage … was just exquisite.”
Mr. Higgins was amazed by the company’s patented method of integrating a 3D animated backdrop with the stage performance. It allows the performers to remarkably travel back and forth between the stage and the background projection.
“The graphics and the interaction between the graphics and the performers [were] spectacular,” he said, “I’ve never seen anything like that.”
Shen Yun’s costumes and colors are true to traditional aesthetics and styles. Intrigued by the array of colors that paint each scene with the radiant splendor from the past, Mr. Higgins said, “It makes you feel good … it makes you feel uplifted.”
“That is a hope for the future,” he added.
Reporting by Weiyong Zhu, Frank Liang, Sherry Dong, and Jennifer Schneider.
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