SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun Is Pure and Sweet and Elevating, Say Utah Theatergoers

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Shen Yun Is Pure and Sweet and Elevating, Say Utah Theatergoers
Jeremy and his wife Thompson attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at the the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Theater, on Feb. 21, 2023. Mary Mann/The Epoch Times

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah—Shen Yun Performing Arts is on its biggest tour yet, and on Feb. 21 the New York-based classical Chinese dance company took to the stage  at the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Theater.

Jeremy Thompson, a dentist, and his wife enjoyed the uplifting performance of Shen Yun. “I thought it put to shame a lot of the entertainments that we have here that are more debased. It felt like it was pure and sweet and elevating, and helped us remember where we come from, and where we’re trying to go,” Mr. Thompson said.

“It gave me hope that there’s people around the world who love virtue and light and goodness and trying to achieve the highest form of that that they can,” he said.

He noted the connection humanity had with the Creator.
“I like that they represented that. We come from heaven and we’re trying to get back to heaven. We have a Creator that loves us and is there to help us. We have forces from heaven that are working and battling for us. I love that it brought that together and demonstrated that in such an elevating way. It’s so beautifully portrayed. Such perfection in dance and music. I just thought it was very uplifting.”
Shen Yun’s mission is to revive 5,000 years of Chinese civilization through music and dance. This traditional culture is highlighted even in the story-based dances set in the modern day.

Mr. Thompson had profound takeaways from this performance.

He described the finale of the performance, and noted the world today is in turmoil, but hope was still a virtue.

“It made me feel that we all know we’re in the last days and something is going to happen. We’ve been told for thousands of years that this is the time. This is the time of the judgment,” he said.

“It’s all going to come together. The judgment is coming. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen that done [on stage]. It was done so beautifully and helped us all realize that we need to stand for what’s right, and that, if we will, then we’re not alone,” Mr. Thompson said.
“There are beings from the other side that are going to help us, and there are people here that will stand up. I love the part where the lady in purple changed her heart. That to me was my favorite part of the whole thing, where [a character] realized she had done something wrong and she then began defending the truth. She was willing to give her life to defend the truth. That, to me, was really beautiful. That what they did inspired her to change even though she had persecuted them to start with. That, to me, was really neat.”
Mr. Thompson noted the beauty of truth, compassion, and forbearance in a piece: “Beautiful virtues and principles.”
The Fullers enjoyed Shen Yun Performing Arts at the the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Theater, on Feb. 21, 2023. (Mary Mann/The Epoch Times)
The Fullers enjoyed Shen Yun Performing Arts at the the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Theater, on Feb. 21, 2023. Mary Mann/The Epoch Times

Great Stories About Family Values

Matthew and Ariana Fuller brought their children to the performance. Mr. Fuller’s career is in real estate and Mrs. Fuller is a managing director of Goldman Sachs. She thought the storytelling was special. “Goodness, I love the storytelling. You don’t find this kind of storytelling anymore.”
Mrs. Fuller said the performance brought out positive values, such as love and compassion.  “Absolutely, and grace, regality, a value in trying, a value in effort. A value in hard work.”

Mr. Fuller saw how Chinese culture is honored. “Nice to see the pride in your history,” he said. “In what you believe. Your history and your background,” Mrs. Fuller added.

Mr. Fuller noted the 3-D backdrop. “That’s really fun how they use that. It’s smooth. It’s seamless. It makes it very fun.”

Shen Yun Stories Emotionally Moving

Todd and Tanya Allen enjoyed Shen Yun Performing Arts on Feb. 21. (Mary Mann/The Epoch Times)
Todd and Tanya Allen enjoyed Shen Yun Performing Arts on Feb. 21. Mary Mann/The Epoch Times

Tanya Allen, an office administrator in the health care field, and her husband Todd, a psychiatric nurse practitioner, had much to share about the storytelling as well.

Several stories impressed Mrs. Allen. “The storytelling sucked you right in, like you were there.”

“I got emotional a couple of times: the story of the emperor and his concubine ... and then the one where the wife ... sacrifices herself so that her baby can go back to her husband. That was wonderful. And then the unprecedented crime in the the modern day. That just broke my heart,” she said.

Mr. Allen enjoyed the humorous stories, “like the drunk monk. That was a lot of fun to see that.”

There were also stories recounting spiritual culture. Mr. Allen said, “I thought that was a beautiful portrayal of the Creator’s plan for everything, and to save humanity, to return to the Creator. It was a wonderful message.”

Mr. Allen noted that people should care for one another, to “be good to each other.”

Mrs. Allen expressed her gratitude to the performers. “I’m so grateful for their sacrifice and hard work, because I know it’s a lot of hard work.”

Mr. Allen added, “We appreciate you coming here to Salt Lake City and sharing it with us. It was a really amazing experience. Thank you.”

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