SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Engineer Gains ‘Greater Appreciation for the Hardships That Are Faced in China’

May 04, 2024
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Engineer Gains ‘Greater Appreciation for the Hardships That Are Faced in China’
Larry and Maribel Pennington attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts-Mahaffey Theater on May 4, 2024. (Sally Sun/The Epoch Times)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.—Shen Yun Performing Arts performed at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts-Mahaffey Theater on May 4. Larry and Maribel Pennington found much to enjoy during the performance.

Mr. Pennington said: “The performance is wonderful. It’s a great expressive and artistic show to watch and to understand more about the Chinese culture, so we’ve enjoyed it.”

Mrs. Pennington said she learned a great deal of traditional Chinese culture. “For me particularly, just to know more of the divine, because I like to see that.”

She also learned of the persecution that is occurring today in modern China. “It was explained to us that that continued there in China. It’s like some kind of persecution. So I didn’t know about that,” she said.

Through classical Chinese dance and music, Shen Yun is sharing with the world the beauty of China’s authentic 5,000 years of history before communism. Since its founding in 2006, the company has received worldwide accolades for its mission to revive traditional Chinese culture.

“So that’s good to see this kind of performance because you know more about other cultures, and there’s some kind of things that you see there that they continue being like that,” she said. “So far, I’ve really enjoyed the performance. It’s a learning process because you learn more about what’s going on the other side of the world.”

Mr. Pennington realized a great deal about Chinese culture from Shen Yun’s performance that he wasn’t aware of before, he said. “What have we learned so far?  I guess what I’ve learned today is I saw a part of the spiritual concepts of the religion that is of a large faith in China, so I learned a little more about their religion today; and a greater appreciation for the hardships that are faced in China.”

How the dancers performed was more than he expected, too. “The performers are excellent. I mean, they’re some of the best I’ve ever watched. I give great accolades to their intense ability to perform.”

To the performers, Mr. Pennington gave a hearty, “Thank you.”

Mrs. Pennington echoed her husband’s compliments to Shen Yun dancers. “It’s the same. And, of course, you can see that the hard work is going to give you the excellence that we see in their performances, so that’s beautiful.”

‘It’s amazing, I love it’

Acey Roberts and Suellen Ramalho also enjoyed Shen Yun’s performance in many ways. Mr. Roberts appreciated the beauty of the production, he said. “It’s just a beautiful, beautiful play. It’s the first time we’ve ever seen anything like this. It’s wonderful.”
From the technical precision of the 3D animated backdrop to the brilliance of the dancers, Mr. Roberts was impressed. “I really love the transitions between the screen and out. It’s almost seamless. It’s wonderful,” he said. “The traditional male dance was very powerful. The jumps and the flips were really impressive. Very acrobatic.”
Acey Roberts and Suellen Ramalho attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts at Mahaffey Theater on May 4, 2024. (Yeawen Hung/The Epoch Times)
Acey Roberts and Suellen Ramalho attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts at Mahaffey Theater on May 4, 2024. (Yeawen Hung/The Epoch Times)

Ms. Ramalho said, “It’s amazing, I love it. I’m enjoying seeing all the dances and everything. It’s really good.”

Mr. Roberts said he first heard about Shen Yun on social networks. “We saw it on social media weeks ago, and we just put it on our calendar to see if we could come. The timing worked out. It’s great.”

He liked learning about China’s past and its rich traditional culture that goes back centuries. “So I know a little bit about the history of China. It’s great to see some of the traditional stories that I didn’t know about. It’s really interesting to see more about the history of China,” he said.

Ms. Ramalho said how much she appreciated coming to Shen Yun. “We are amazed to be here and get the opportunity to see this performance.”

Reporting by Sally Sun, Yeawen Hung, and Yvonne Marcotte.
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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