SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Atlanta Theatergoers Praise Shen Yun: ‘They Did a Wonderful Job Representing the Culture’

Jan 07, 2024

ATLANTA, Ga.—Bob Raus, a marketing manager, and Holly Raus, a librarian, watched Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Atlanta Symphony Hall on Jan. 6.

“The costumes were so bright and colorful,” Mr. Raus said. “You could really appreciate the hard work and the dedication of all the performers.”

“Basically, what’s not to like?” Mrs. Raus added. “It was also fabulous, and I like the message.”

Based in New York, Shen Yun was founded in 2006 by leading Chinese artists who were forced to flee China’s oppressive government. Shen Yun’s mission is to revive traditional Chinese culture through authentic classical Chinese dance and music and show audiences around the world the beauty of China as it was before communism.

“It’s gorgeous,” Mrs. Raus said. “The dancing, the costumes, the color, the faith. I thought they did a wonderful job representing the culture. [It] opened my eyes.”

Mrs. Raus said that one of the messages she saw in Shen Yun’s performance was that “communism has destroyed the culture, suppressed the culture.”

“I like that this group is working so hard to preserve the culture and share it with us,” she said. “I think the mission is extremely important because we’re becoming such a global society that there’s a danger of languages and cultures being lost. It’s very important that they continue to be celebrated and shared.”

Besides dance vignettes showcasing China’s many different ethnic groups and stories of its myths and legends, Shen Yun’s program also includes songs performed in the traditional bel canto style. Mrs. Raus, who said that another message she got from the performance was that people should strive to “bring the divine into the world,” shared that the song lyrics stood out to her.

“They talked about atheism there and how that’s suppressing the divine and the faith in China, and that stood out to me,” she said.

Mr. Raus said that one of his takeaways from the performance was “the common belief in the divine.”

“I like to say myself, never confuse religion with faith. So, the focus on the divine is critical, I think, for all cultures. To see it presented so brilliantly was really quite fantastic.”

Mr. and Mrs. Raus also said that they enjoyed watching classical Chinese dance, which is, as the audience learns during the performance, one of the most comprehensive dance systems in the world, alongside ballet.

“I really like the style of dance,” Mrs. Raus said. “The difference between classical Chinese dance and the ballet that we normally see—they’re not up on pointe—I liked it better. I like the acrobatics that came with the beautiful style.”

“We were up very high, so we could see the precision,” Mr. Raus said. “They were moving flawlessly … between each other, moving in unison but then also individually so graceful.”

Reporting by Frank 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.