CHARLESTON, S.C.—The year Jeffrey Rumpf had his heart set on seeing Shen Yun Performing Arts, the world tour was cut short by a pandemic. Then the years went by, and with them, missed opportunities.
His expectations had built up during that time, but Mr. Rumpf was not disappointed.
“I felt like a kid in that I was like so happy I finally made it here, and then the performance exceeded my expectations,” he said. “Honestly, no one prompts me to say this stuff, and I would never say it, not even if I was paid to, unless it were true. I felt like I was on cloud nine watching the performance. It was everything I hoped for.”
“I can’t say enough superlatives about the performance. They were like professional athletes, and the storytelling was fantastic. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it,” Mr. Rumpf said.
Based in New York, Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese company, founded in 2006 with a mission to revive 5,000 years of Chinese civilization through the arts.
“It was a very high-minded like performance,” Mr. Rumpf said, explaining that the program spanned the history of China and brought it up to the present day. “I thought it was pretty fair-minded and hopeful for the future.”
Shen Yun aims to revive “China before communism,” and this is but one reason the artists cannot perform in China.
Mr. Rumpf thought the artists had made “an amazing choice” pursuing this mission, knowing “it wouldn’t be safe for them” to then go to or return to China, where some of the artists have family they cannot see.
“The commitment to long term to be doing this—to try to present a performance that is not only engaging, but educational and inspiring,” he said. “It’s a tremendous combination, and I give them so much credit for what they do.”
“They were like professional athletes. I was so mesmerized by the women—the way they’re able to dance and move across the stage, and their head height never changes. They’re incredibly balanced as they move across the stage, and I was looking for details like that.
“And the men—the moves were just so powerful—just like professional athletes. It was just really amazing to see how they must be in amazing shape. They really have to be in terrific physical condition,” he said.
Mr. Rumpf said the performance also taught and confirmed for him a core trait of traditional Chinese culture, “which is how important peace and harmony seem to be in the Chinese culture.”
“That was a big impression that was made on me. I knew that to some extent, but it was much stronger after having watched the performance,” he said.
Traditional Chinese culture is said to be divinely inspired, and the ancient Chinese believed their culture was a gift from the heavens. Society was centered on the idea of harmony between heaven, earth, and humankind, and Mr. Rumpf could sense this through Shen Yun.
The performance left Mr. Rumpf buoyant, and after the performers took their bows and the curtain came down a final time, he made his way to the orchestra pit to thank the musicians.
“I just wanted to personally thank them,” he said. “I wish I could thank every performer individually.”
