Justin White enjoyed Shen Yun with his family at the Jones Hall for the Performing Arts in Houston, Texas, on Jan. 1, 2024. Sonia Wu/The Epoch Times
HOUSTON—Justin White, owner of an insurance agency, rang in the New Year with his wife and daughters, attending a performance of Shen Yun Performing Arts.
“The music is wonderful, it’s exciting, it goes with the dancing perfectly,” he said. “The costumes are breathtaking ... and the visual effects that they get out of all that is really, really neat.”
“I think it’s something that not many people see,” Mr. White said at the Jones Hall for the Performing Arts in Houston, Texas, on Jan. 1.
He praised various aspects of New York-based Shen Yun’s stagecraft and performance—like the “very uniquely done” backdrop technology and the “all compelling” stories told through dance.
Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance company, with a mission to revive 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture.
Standing by the orchestra pit during intermission, Mr. White noted that the company composes all new music and choreography every year.
“It’s very impressive,” he said.
An Unseen China
Mr. White felt Shen Yun a unique and educational opportunity to see a new side of China.
Shen Yun was formed in 2006 by artists who came from around the world, including those who had fled China because they were persecuted for their faith. China was once known as the “Land of the Divine,” but when the Chinese Communist Party took power in 1949, it set to destroy China’s traditional cultural heritage.
A typical Shen Yun program includes ethnic and folk dances from China’s many regions and half a hundred ethnic minority groups. It also includes story-based dances from China’s histories, myths, and legends, as well as the authentic classical Chinese dance it is famous for.
“The dancing is awesome. Very cool. It’s neat to see the different ethnic styles. It’s very exciting, and they’re obviously very acrobatic and extremely talented,” Mr. White said.
“I like the stories because they’re unusual. I haven’t heard them. Some are a little easier to understand than others. But I think they’re all compelling.”
The stories span 5,000 years, from the founding legend of the Creator coming down to establish civilization in ancient China to tales based on true stories from the modern day. Mr. White said one of the modern-day stories was especially compelling, telling the truth about the Chinese Communist Party’s persecution of people of faith.
“That struck me the most,” he said. “It’s just opened my eyes to things about China that I didn’t know. And I like the fact that it’s operating here and telling a story that they can’t tell back home.”
Inspirational
Michelle and Kirk Furch, at the Jones Hall for the Performing Arts in Houston, Texas, on Jan. 1, 2024. Sally Sun/The Epoch Times
Michelle and Kirk Furch, an engineer, also chose to start the new year with Shen Yun and said they left feeling inspired.
“Everything was beautiful: the colors, the energy, the hope, and the message also,” said Mrs. Furch. She said she felt the message of hope was much needed in today’s society and showed guidance in “making good choices.”
“I feel like it was just the message that there is a higher power and to lean on the higher power for our strength,” she said.
Mr. Furch added that the excitement and energy of the performers was magnificent.
“It’s fascinating, and it gives you a perspective—that as far as culture learning and other cultures that we don’t get—through this experience,” he said.
Lydia Robinson (R) with her son, Adam Price (C), and friend, Lina Jackson, at Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Jones Hall for the Performing Arts in Houston, Texas, on Jan. 1, 2024. Sarah Yu/The Epoch Times
Lydia Robinson, a vice president of human resources, and her family were also in the audience for Shen Yun’s afternoon performance.
Ms. Robinson said the performance showed “aspirational values” that certainly inspired her.
“On a spiritual level, for sure,” she elaborated. “Especially when it talks about people’s thoughts and how our thoughts can actually act as a barrier to a God, what you believe in. So that was very educational for me.”
The Leibas enjoyed Shen Yun with his family at the Jones Hall for the Performing Arts in Houston, Texas, on Jan. 1, 2024. Sally Sun/The Epoch Times
Christopher Leiba, an engineer, saw the performance for the first time that afternoon, together with his wife Maribza, a physician, who recommended the performance after she had seen it herself the year before.
“Wow, It was excellent for me,” Mr. Leiba said.
“I’m very happy to be here again,” Mrs. Leiba said. “We are spiritual persons, we love God, and that’s the message here: God, Almighty God, reigns in the world.”
With reporting by Sonia Wu, Sarah Yu, and Sally Sun.
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