SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun Inspires Me to Be a Better Person, Says Las Vegas Theatergoer

Feb 25, 2023

LAS VEGAS—On Feb. 24, Shen Yun opened the first of its four consecutive shows at the Smith Center for the Performing Arts.

Retired court clerk Wynona Shinost and her daughter Spring Dineen happily bought tickets when they heard that the company would be returning to Las Vegas. This was the duo’s fourth time seeing Shen Yun and they still loved every aspect of the performance.

“We have come three other times. I like how they’ve added comedy over the years—that was neat,” Ms. Dineen said. “The vocalists were beautiful and the [two-stringed] erhu was cool. We don’t get to see much of that in America.”

New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company. Through short dance pieces and solo musical performances, Shen Yun artists are seeking to revive China’s 5,000 years of traditional culture.

Their goal is to share with everyone the beauty and glory of pre-communist China.

Having worked her whole life in the criminal court, there was very little Ms. Shinost hadn’t seen. She knows very clearly what she wants out of life.

“I want a better life—I can tell you that— [Shen Yun] really inspires me to try to be a better person. I was really impressed with it,” she said.

Referring to one of Shen Yun’s story-based dances depicting the Chinese Communist Party’s ruthless killing of Falun Gong practitioners—peaceful spiritual followers upholding the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance—Ms. Shinost said she was impressed.

“I had watched a news program before where they talked a bit about Falun Gong and organ harvesting,” she said. “I thought that was an impressive part of the show tonight, it was really inspirational. It wasn’t entertainment—they really had a message.”

Ms. Dineen chimed in that it was good to learn about what is going on in the world. “We have no idea here [in America.] We feel like everyone everywhere is free to worship as they choose. So, to hear and see that—it’s tragic.”

In fact, for its insistence on portraying the truth of events in present-day China under the communist rule, Shen Yun is banned from performing in China.

After learning about what Shen Yun faces, Ms. Dineen said she was moved by the company’s growth. Since its inception in 2006, Shen Yun has expanded from one to eight equally-sized companies that perform simultaneously to packed venues around the world.

The whole performance gave off “a message of hope and perseverance. When people believe in something they will go to great lengths, they’ll do great things, and it will spread everywhere. I love that because that’s what humans do—we triumph, we overcome, and we do great things,” Ms. Dineen expressed.

“It’s neat to see that people are the same everywhere. China, here, wherever—we all have the same things that we love. We love the truth and we love compassion. It can [manifest differently] but it all comes back to people wanting to love, to be loved, and to care for each other.”

Reporting by Linda Jiang and Jennifer Tseng.

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