SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Councilmember Says Shen Yun Surpasses Any Performance China Can Create

SHARE
Councilmember Says Shen Yun Surpasses Any Performance China Can Create
City of Prescott councilmember Ted Gambogi time at Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Orpheum Theatre, in Phoenix, Ariz., on Feb. 17, 2024. NTD
PHOENIX, Ariz.—Ted Gambogi, City of Prescott councilmember, was happy he drove all the way from Prescott, Ariz., to see Shen Yun Performing Arts for the first time at the Orpheum Theatre on Feb. 17.

“It was wonderful. … They did a fantastic job,” he said. “They’re tremendous athletes … so flexible, so coordinated, and so athletic.”

“I really thought the integration between the live performers and the CGI was absolutely fantastic,” he added.

Shen Yun utilizes a cutting-edge patented digital backdrop that allows audiences to see beyond the stage into the ancient wonders of China and even scenes of heavenly paradises. The animation allows the performers to seamlessly travel back and forth between the stage and the background projection.

As a former senior sales and marketing executive for Caterpillar Inc., Mr. Gambogi traveled around Singapore, Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, India, Korea, and China.

“Because of Caterpillar, I traveled extensively through China, and I’ve seen shows similar to this, but this was far more elegant, far more sophisticated,” he said. “This is way beyond those performances!”

Shen Yun Performing Arts is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance company. Along with folk dances and solo performances, the production depicts story-based pieces that tell tales from ancient times to the modern day.

According to the company’s website, only Shen Yun has preserved the true aesthetics of this classical dance system—the way it has been passed down from antiquity—and presents this authentic culture in its purest form.

Being based out of New York, Shen Yun can freely reintegrate China’s ancient spiritual culture with the arts, which is why audience members feel there is something different about Shen Yun.

Unveiling Injustices

Mr. Gambogi was pleased that one of Shen Yun’s dance-story tastefully exposed the persecution of Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong), a meditation discipline based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance, by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
In 1999, the CCP launched a persecution campaign against the spiritual practice, and adherents have since been subjected to unprecedented imprisonment, torture, and abuse—including forced organ harvesting.
Since the communist regime seized power in China in 1949, the traditional values that made the country divinely inspired have been eroding ethics, perceptions, and standards.

“China’s 1.4 billion people—a billion of them are in poverty—are wonderful, great people because I’ve interacted with them,” said Mr. Gambogi. “It’s just leadership in China … terrible, but you know, that’s [communist] China, that’s what they do.”

Since 2006, the company has performed at top theatres worldwide with a mission to revive China’s 5,000-year-old culture. Demonstrating “China before communism,” Shen Yun is currently not allowed to perform in China.

Mr. Gambogi was happy he was able to see Shen Yun and help support their mission as well as “to maybe help contribute to the Falun Gong effort.”

Reporting by NTD 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.
Related Topics
shen yun
SHARE