LONG BEACH, Calif.—Erik Nelson and Kelly Bruno-Nelson have an appreciation of Chinese culture, and seeing Shen Yun Performing Arts bring to life 5,000 years of Chinese civilization was an inspirational experience.
“It’s very, very, very impressive,“ said Mrs. Bruno-Nelson, an executive in the health industry. ”There’s just a classiness and an elegance to the culture that I think is inspirational, and we could all learn from that.”
She and Mr. Nelson were seeing Shen Yun for the first time. Based in New York, Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance company.
“Oh, it was beautiful,” said Mr. Nelson, a vice president of operations.
Mrs. Bruno-Nelson said the artists were amazing; their expressivity combined with the stagecraft made it easy to follow the stories across 5,000 years and travel through the many regions of China showcased through dance.
“They’re so powerful and smooth. It’s fun to watch how exacting their craft is,” she said. “It’s beautiful and it’s elegant, I would say, and the storytelling is very vivid.”
Also seeing Shen Yun for the first time was Kelly Cowan, who said Shen Yun had been on her bucket list for years. Tom Cowan finally surprised his wife with tickets for Valentine’s Day.
“So we’re here we’re here today, and I absolutely loved it. I teared up quite a few times,” said Mrs. Cowan, a copywriter.
Mrs. Cowan listed various aspects of the performance that moved and inspired her, from a modern-day tale of faith in the face of persecution to the East-West orchestra and original music to the dancers’ talent.
Several of these things “really touched my heart,” she said, especially knowing that people cannot express their beliefs freely today under communist rule.
Tom and Kelly Cowan enjoyed Shen Yun at the Terrace Theater in Long Beach, California, on the afternoon of March 30, 2024. Linda Jiang/The Epoch Times
China was once a spiritual society, and its people believed its culture was divinely inspired. But after communism seized poweronly a few decades ago, the regime has sought to root out traditional culture. Shen Yun states it aims to present “China before communism.”
“I don’t even know if I can put it into words—I just was moved,” Mrs. Cowan said.
Mr. Cowan, who works in construction, said he also enjoyed the stories his wife mentioned and felt the themes were universal.
“I was really inspired by the theme of good against evil, and they depicted that with this, the people trying to maintain their freedom and independence against the tyranny of the Communist Party,“ he said. ”It was really inspiring to see.”
“I would just like to express my appreciation to their commitment to their excellence and their dedication to telling the story and dedication to their art,” he added. “The musicians were wonderful. The dancers were wonderful. All the people that designed the costumes, the choreographers, everybody that’s involved. They just really executed a wonderful show. And it just shows their dedication to their craft.”
With reporting by Alice Sun and Linda Jiang.
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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