SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Just Go See Shen Yun. You Have to Experience It to Really Understand It, Says California Theatergoer

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Just Go See Shen Yun. You Have to Experience It to Really Understand It, Says California Theatergoer
Brenda and Chris Gravesen enjoyed Shen Yun's matinee at the War Memorial Opera House on Jan. 4, 2024. Gary Wang/The Epoch Times

SAN FRANCISCO—Pastor Chris Gravesen and his wife, Brenda, had long wished to attend a Shen Yun performance. On Jan. 4, they finally got their chance and enjoyed a matinee at the War Memorial Opera House.

“I’m just so blessed,” Mrs. Gravesen said. The performers “are so talented, and the stories that they’re telling are very compelling.”

Having gotten seats close to the stage, the couple was able to see every expression of the performers, and Mr. Gravesen thought, “That’s wonderful.”

“We love these seats. [The dancers] are wonderful and they’re so talented. The precision is amazing,” he said. “Chinese culture has always interested me. I never had any exposure quite like this—it’s a wonderful thing.”

He was grateful to the performers for “bringing the beauty and the culture of China here.”
The New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts was founded in 2006 by elite Chinese artists who had fled the persecution of the communist party.

For 5,000 years, China’s civilization flourished under the shared belief that the divine will bless those who uphold traditional moral values. Tragically, within just a few decades of the communist party’s violent takeover, these beliefs were erased and replaced with atheism.

The mission of Shen Yun artists is to return to the world’s stage—the glory and beauty of China’s 5,000 years of divinely inspired culture.

As a pastor, Mr. Gravesen was fascinated to find many shared values between traditional Chinese spirituality and Christianity. It was a beautiful and amazing discovery.

“It was visually stunning,” he expressed. “[Shen Yun] talked about the Creator and talked about returning to heaven. There are so many ways that God reveals himself to us, but it’s different in every culture.”

Mrs. Gravesen said that the message was “very powerful,” and she feels “sad for the Chinese people that don’t get to share in this kind of experience.”

Though Shen Yun has quickly gained a global following since its inception, the artists are currently banned by the ruling communist regime from performing in China.

Commenting on Shen Yun’s story-based dances that highlight the ongoing persecution of people of faith under the communist regime in modern-day China, Mr. Gravesen said it’s tragic.

“The stories that [Shen Yun] is telling are just so amazing. The one with the young man in modern China and what he endured—it was such a beautiful ending,” he said

“The idea that you’re being persecuted because you believe in truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance, and having joy in believing that—it’s just tragic to me. The communists are not good people.”

The couple will most definitely be recommending Shen Yun to all their friends and family.

“Just go, go see it,” Mr. Gravesen said. “You have to see it to experience it, and you have to experience it to really understand it.”

“An exquisite performance,” Mrs. Gravesen added.

Reporting by Gary Wang, Nan Su, and Jennifer Tseng.
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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