HOUSTON—Learning about a new culture can be an exciting experience. Sloan Gunter, who works in private wealth management, was introduced to traditional Chinese culture when he watched Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Jones Hall for the Performing Arts on Jan. 1.
“The dancing is incredible,” said Mr. Gunter. “It’s a great representation of the Chinese culture, particularly to people like me who are American and … don’t know anything about Chinese culture. It’s wonderful.”
Based in New York, Shen Yun was founded in 2006 by leading Chinese artists and quickly became the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company. Its mission is to revive traditional Chinese culture and show its audiences the beauty of China before communism. Shen Yun now has eight equal-sized companies that tour the world simultaneously and are set to perform in more than 180 cities this season.
Mr. Gunter expressed his appreciation for the dancers’ skills.
“The training that they had to do to create this production today is a lifetime of training and a lifetime of discipline,” said Mr. Gunter.
According to Shen Yun’s website, China was once known as “The Land of the Divine,” and Shen Yun seeks to portray the connection between Chinese culture and the divine. Mr. Gunter and Sandra Hulse, an artist who attended the performance with Mr. Gunter, were able to resonate with this connection.
“We believe there is a power greater than ourselves,” said Ms. Hulse.
“I think for all mankind there’s a higher power,” said Mr. Gunter. ‘There is a power greater than us, and I think the expression that there is a Creator … is aptly expressed [in Shen Yun]. We need to recognize that as human beings.”
Reporting by Sherry Dong and Wandi Zhu.
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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