SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun ‘Reminds You About The Beauty of Life,’ Theatergoer Says

Jan 12, 2023

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn.—The past few years have been difficult for everyone, and although things are gradually going back to normal, a reminder that there is still beauty in life can go a long way.

Clayton White, who works with patient access at a hospital, watched Shen Yun Performing Arts at the ETSU Martin Center for the Arts on Jan. 11, and was amazed by what he saw. He said he had traveled an hour from another city to see the performance for the first time.

“It was just worth the trip to get here,” said Mr. White. “With the past couple of years being cooped up inside with everything going on, to get out and to see something that reminds you about the beauty of life and just learning about getting out there and being surrounded by people and learning different cultures and everything in the world. It was an amazing experience.”

Based in New York, Shen Yun was founded in 2006 by leading Chinese artists, who made it their mission to revive traditional Chinese culture through classical Chinese dance and music. Throughout the years, Shen Yun has gone from one to eight equally-sized companies that tour the world simultaneously. Each company has its own orchestra, which combines traditional Chinese and Western instruments.

Mr. White was impressed by the orchestra, and the way the dance and music came together.

“I’m a huge orchestra person, so the music for me is a big thing. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard a live orchestra. Getting back into there, and just to see the amazing choreography that they do with the dancers to make sure that every detail is done to precision, is just unbelievable.”

Shen Yun’s program is made up of a series of dance vignettes, which include story-based dances, as well as songs performed in the traditional bel canto style, and a performance by a soloist who plays an erhu, a traditional Chinese stringed instrument with only two strings, but can express a wide range of tones and emotions, much like the human vocal cords.

Mr. White expressed his new-found love for the erhu.

“I could have listened to that the whole night by itself,” he said. “I just loved the way that sounds.”

The song lyrics, which urged a return to tradition, were thought-provoking Mr. White as well.

“I thought the songs were really, really well done. I thought the lyrics were really beautiful and something that can really sync with you when you think about the words they are singing … When you read the words and what they mean, it just really makes you reflect on everything going on.”

To the dancers, Mr. White wished to say, “I know the hours and hours of detailed work they have to put in for that kind of perfection. Sometimes it might get overlooked, but I hope they know how much it’s appreciated and how much it’s a beautiful thing to bring a different culture for other people to see and learn.”

Reporting by Jennifer Liang 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.