BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—On March 15, company manager Christopher Gillette attended Shen Yun Performing Arts for the third time at the BJCC Concert Hall. He still can’t get enough of the performance.
“I just think it’s very beautiful. I love the culture and I seem to pick up something new every time I watch it,” he said. “It’s just beautiful—and the athleticism ... and how everybody gets it in sync—it’s just amazing to me.”
Joining Mr. Gillette for the evening was Shayna Thomas, a store supervisor, who experienced Shen Yun for the first time. She, too, loved the performance and was impressed by the artist’s commitment to bringing back China’s 5,000 years of divinely inspired culture.
“I think a lot of people don’t know the culture of China, and it educates all of us in [Chinese] traditions and performances,” she said. “It’s very beautiful.”
Ms. Thomas, who has always been fascinated by Asian culture, was grateful to have the opportunity to see Shen Yun. She urged everyone, “You definitely need to come watch it.”
This story “is relevant right now because I think communism doesn’t want to shrink. It wants to grow, and the more educated people are and really understand what it is will hopefully, keep it from growing.”
A spiritual man himself, Mr. Gillette loved the divine element of the performance. He said he agreed with the part that said “evolution can be misleading,” and he believes that Shen Yun has a “very positive message.”
“It’s good to know that across borders, across countries, across oceans—we’re still the same inside. ... We all love and we all feel the same inside,” he said.
Shen Yun “brings me back to my roots, being thankful and remembering that there is much more than just me ... and being a small part of something much bigger.
