SAN DIEGO—Psychiatrist Gregory McFadden lauded the youthful dancers of Shen Yun Performing Arts and their high-energy portrayal of Chinese history and culture at San Diego Civic Theatre on Saturday.
“I think it’s exciting,” he said. “I just love the energy of the dancers, the refreshing nature of the dancers, and their athletic abilities.”
Through music and dance, Shen Yun artists seek to bring this history of China—the country once known as “The Land of the Divine”—to audiences around the globe. Unfortunately, Shen Yun cannot be seen in China today, where the Communist Party has spent decades eradicating these traditions in the Cultural Revolution and other political campaigns.
However, Mr. McFadden said he was grateful to see the revival of this heritage flourishing overseas.
“I think that’s the most special thing about it,” he said. “We have the original classical features of Chinese dance ... done by people who are studying it in a school, in a system dedicated to maintaining our ability to continue to see Chinese dance in its original form.”
“Looking through the lens of the dance, which portrays their vitality and their personality, you get a glimpse into different subcultural groups as they historically have emerged in China,” he said. “You get a more complex picture of the different ethnic groups, different geographic groups, and how dance changes from one area to another.”
Aside from ethnic dances, a Shen Yun performance features classical Chinese dance numbers, story-based dances, and musical soloists. A full live orchestra with both Chinese and Western instruments accompanies each dance piece, and two bilingual emcees guide the audience along the way.
During the performance, Mr. McFadden said he felt the artists reflected elements of a traditional spirituality “from the origins of China” that shares universal values with other major world religions.
These values include “honesty and caring and compassion for fellow men,” he said, and “the golden rule, do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
“The dancers seem devoted in a way that brings that to life. They seem to be very much engaged by following that traditional spirituality,” he said.
Mr. McFadden said the arts, such as dance, costuming, and other creative works, are “an excellent medium” to revive China’s history and culture.
