SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun’s Beauty ‘Comes From an Inner Form of Divinity,’ Says Vegas Business Owner

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Shen Yun’s Beauty ‘Comes From an Inner Form of Divinity,’ Says Vegas Business Owner
Debbie Walsh at the Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas on Feb. 26, 2023. Linda Jiang/The Epoch Times

LAS VEGAS—“It is the most visually intriguing and beautiful thing that I have ever seen,” said Debbie Walsh at the Shen Yun Performing Arts performance on Feb. 26.

“The strength, the history, the longevity, and of course the beauty … is phenomenal,” she said.

The third time seeing Shen Yun, Mrs. Walsh and her daughter attended the matinee performance at the Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas.
New York-based Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company. Shen Yun performs classical Chinese dance, ethnic and folk dance, and story-based dance, with orchestral accompaniment and solo performers. According to the company’s website, the presented heroes in the story-based dances embody the most exalted virtues of Chinese civilization—values still relevant to the modern day.
Shen Yun Performing Arts aims to revive China’s 5,000-year-old traditional culture. The company says its performance this year demonstrates “China before communism.”

As the director of development for the Children’s Miracle Network at St. Rose Dominican Health Foundation, Mrs. Walsh said the principles of Shen Yun resonate with her because her values at work are “taking care of each other [and] expressing beauty.”

Mrs. Walsh wanted her daughter to see Shen Yun so she could understand the values and principles of ancient China.

By exposing the next generation to ancient traditions, she hopes it will help to preserve the culture.

“I want her to see the cultures of the world and the sad parts that are happening in China—this beautiful display of art [that] is being suppressed,” she said, “the values must be taught to the children or … it will go away and we can’t have that.”

‘Very Encouraging to See’

“I was astounded … I didn’t know anything about the show prior to coming here,” said Jodi Perales, business owner, who also attended the matinee performance of Shen Yun at the Smith Center for the Performing Arts on Feb. 26.

“[It] relays a beautiful message both musically, artistically, theologically, theoretically,  philosophically,” she said.

“I was absolutely intrigued and captivated … it’s very encouraging to see.”

Ms. Perales was very impressed with Shen Yun’s orchestra, which blends traditional Chinese instruments into a classical Western orchestra.

“I was very impressed by the ancient Chinese instruments,” she said. “The woman who performed with the two strings … I was so fascinated with the depth that that instrument was able to convey.”

The erhu, sometimes called the “Chinese violin,” is a two-stringed instrument capable of conveying a broad range of emotions—even imitating sounds from chirping birds to neighing horses—explains Shen Yun’s website.

Regarding the company’s virtuoso vocalists who sing Chinese lyrics using the authentic bel canto style, Ms. Perales said she was very pleased’ and unexpectedly surprised by the spiritual undertones of the performance.

“I was very, very pleased to see the lyrics … and to make reference to the divine and the mercy that divinity shows on us … and the redemption we have,” she said.

“It was incredible to see because it was not anything that I expected, especially considering the world we live in,” she added.

While many would assume that anything spiritual must be religious, China’s authentic culture is inseparable from its spiritual heritage—where a pantheon of divine beings, spiritual cultivators, and mythology has shaped the culture for thousands of years.
According to Shen Yun, ancient Chinese music, medicine, calligraphy, clothing, and language were believed to have been brought down from the heavens and daily life was replete with rituals connecting man with the divine.

“I felt like it was very, very bold to say that faithlessness and atheism actually will ruin us and I believe that … that’s so true,” said Ms. Perales.

“Maybe it will help people to see that this beauty comes from an inner form of divinity,” she said, “so when you enjoy that, you might want to delve a little deeper and see how there really is a divine origination of all that.”

Reporting by Linda Jiang and Jennifer Schneider.
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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