ESCONDIDO, Calif.—Steff Saavedra, a client relations manager at a tribal energy developer, thought this year’s performance of Shen Yun at the California Center for the Arts was both educational and beautiful.
“The movements, the choreography, the perfect timing, and you know, them jumping up off the screen, I mean, that was just, that was wonderful, absolutely wonderful.”
It reaffirmed her belief that all people should be able to have the freedom to express and teach others about their history.
“The reason being, I believe, is that once we learn from our past, we are able to heal and evolve in a positive direction and also support others,” she said. “And I believe that is the only way that we can actually preserve the Earth and humanity, is by learning from the past and moving forward from those lessons.”
A Shen Yun performance generally includes over a dozen vignettes, with classical Chinese dance as the primary medium to tell stories spanning 5,000 years.
The New York-based company’s mission is to revive ancient Chinese culture, which was almost lost after communism seized power in China.
“It’s just absolutely beautiful,” she said. “To be able to see that and knowing that the dance is, it’s an ancient form and I think so many others around the world have tried to mimic such dances, and that it touches your soul because it’s that inspirational.”
“And this artistic expression helps us come back full circle to the human part of our ancient history,” she said.
