“The performance was mesmerizing, completely amazing, eye-opening. And it really just brought a lot of knowledge,” Ms. Williams said.
Shen Yun is based in New York and its mission is to revive 5,000 years of Chinese civilization.
“[Shen Yun] brought us back to China and to appreciate the culture and to appreciate not only the people of China, the traditions of China, but to bring it to the present. So, it’s like bringing China from thousands of years ago to today. I found it mesmerizing,” Ms. Williams said.
Shen Yun specializes in classical Chinese dance which is an extremely expressive art form and wonderful for storytelling. One of the stories that Shen Yun portrays is the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, a tragedy ongoing in China today.
“What I learned is the communist oppression. I had already heard about it, but to see it, it was so palpable. It was just incredible. It just brought everything to life. It was like, what does oppression do to the human soul?” Ms. Williams observed.
Ms. Williams also said that seeing Shen Yun was a reminder that there are those in the world who are living without freedom.
“To appreciate freedom and to look at what oppression does to freedom, that’s the eye-opening part. How lucky are we here in the United States to experience it? It’s a luxury, right? It’s a privilege, right?” she said.
Another story that struck Ms. Williams was one that reminded her of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.
“There was a point when they were doing the love story that I caught myself crying. ... The love story about the young boy that fell in love with the fairy. I thought, wow, it’s like Romeo and Juliet all over. So, I found it just completely mesmerizing, all of it,” she said.
Seeing Shen Yun has left a deep impression on Ms. Williams and she shared that she would love to see it again.
“I’m so impressed. Now I want to see it every year since they have new performances every year. I’m enthralled, completely,” she said.
Ms. Williams also shared that she recommends families come to see Shen Yun together.
“This is one of the most beautiful, mesmerizing performances. I would recommend it for families to get together, and bring their children, bring parents, bring grandparents. Just basically, it’s so wonderfully made. The family needs to attend it as a unit. That’s my recommendation,” she said.
