ESCONDIDO, Calif.—Michelle and Ronald Rickwald frequent performing arts events, but they had never seen anything like Shen Yun Performing Arts.
“My husband and I have, like I said, we go to many shows ... and there’s no comparison to this type of show. It’s just—people need to come see it. It’s exceptional,” Mrs. Rickwald said after seeing the March 19 performance at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido. Mrs. Rickwald is a realtor, and Mr. Rickwald is a retired manager in engineering.
Founded in New York in 2006, Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance company.
“It’s absolutely worth coming to and inviting somebody else. I’m hoping to bring my mom the next time but she’s in Los Angeles,” she added.
Mrs. Rickwald said the emcees had explained that the name Shen Yun translates into the “beauty of divine beings dancing” and found it aptly named.
“It really speaks to that,” she said.
Mr. Rickwald agreed, marveling at the talent they saw on stage.
“Oh, they’re so talented. They really have to work hard to get to that level of performance. They’re very good at what they do,” he said.
“The love and the passion is there, and for them to keep doing the right thing and inspiring others, and all the different shows and tours that go around the country to continue to be their best—because they are obviously working very hard to be their best—it’s pretty much close to perfection, what they have, what they show,” she said.
Mr. Rickwald added that Shen Yun didn’t just show the beauty of traditional Chinese culture, but also the ugliness of the Chinese communist regime, and that was an important moment in the show.
Introduced to the public in the early 1990s, Falun Gong teaches the three principles of truth, compassion, and tolerance. Mr. Rickwald was referring to the Chinese communist regime’s persecution of Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong, which has been ongoing since 1999 and even involves the forced organ harvesting of live practitioners detained by the regime.
“I would imagine there’s a lot of danger here because I’m sure there’s always evil out there trying to hurt people doing good like Shen Yun,” she said. “So they must be protected. So thank you for exposing it.”
Also moved by the topic of Falun Gong was John Armendariz, who works in architecture.
“The message, I think it was very interesting,” he said. Mr. Armendariz felt the performance conveyed “a freedom of spirit,” and while also sending a message and reminder “that one should be very grateful for what they have here, and that they should also understand that other people aren’t as fortunate.”
He felt the artists almost “hypnotic” in how effortless and graceful they were and wanted to better understand where they were coming from.
“The performers are just out of this world,” he said. “It’s beyond. I mean, what can you say? They seem like they’re—that’s their second nature of just being who they are. You know, it looked effortless.”
It made him curious about Falun Gong, which the artists practice, and which he felt was referenced in song lyrics and the art.
“So I’m interested in it. And only for my own reflection as to why I should be so grateful. To help me be more grateful. The gratefulness is what gives me peace. That’s why I like to absorb more of that, which is very interesting,” he said.
