SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Seeing Shen Yun, ‘You Realize Maybe There Is Still Hope’: Manager

Dec 26, 2022

HOUSTON—When Vincent and Andrea Iandoli first moved to Houston 10 years ago, they saw advertisements in the city for Shen Yun Performing Arts.

It didn’t occur to Mr. Iandoli to see the performance right then, but “then we heard about the performances, we heard about the reviews, and we said, ‘we must see it.’”

Attending the first performance in Houston this season, Mr. Iandoli was inspired by the breadth and depth he found in the performance.

“I’m just impressed by the history—5,000 years is amazing when you think about the short history here in the States as opposed to China. It’s so impressive to see, going back in history, the stories that are being told. And the costumes, the dancers—everyone’s super talented. We would definitely come back again,” said Mr. Iandoli, a manager in the oil and gas industry, at the Jones Hall for the Performing Arts on Dec. 26.

New York-based Shen Yun was formed in 2006 with the mission of reviving 5,000 years of Chinese civilization, showing the beauty of China before communism through music and dance.

Especially at this time in the world, we need this inspiration, we need this guidance.

— Vincent Iandoli

For Mr. Iandoli, this ancient wisdom came at just the right time.

“Especially at this time in the world, we need this inspiration, we need this guidance,” he said. “When you see this, you realize maybe there is still hope.”

For Mrs. Iandoli, the performance was what she called an enlightening experience.

“It was beautiful, yes, very beautiful, it was very inspiring,” she said. “I think the stories that they told ... I thought that was nice, it was inspirational in terms of the divine aspect of it, just very hopeful kind of feeling.”

She wanted to pass her thanks on to the performers. “I enjoyed your performance immensely,” she said. “I appreciate them showing us their talents and giving us the stories, both the ancient ones and the more modern ones, and giving us the message of hope. I think that’s very inspiring. I wish they could keep up what they’re doing, pass it on to their next generation. And keep spreading the messages—it’s very important.”

Mr. Iandoli felt grateful for the performance as well.

“I know they sacrificed so much for what they’re giving to us, so we just sincerely appreciate everything they do; their hard work, their sacrifice, and just their talents,” he said.

‘It Reaches Your Heart’

Also in the audience was William Graves, a financial advisor, who enjoyed the performance with his 85-year-old father, and the memory of his late mother. The performance was one that would be thoroughly enjoyable for all ages, from young children up to those his father’s age, he added.

“It’s really a fantastic show,” Mr. Graves said, explaining that the synchronization of the production, from the dancers to the unique backdrop technology added something different and incredible. Like the Iandolis, he added that what made Shen Yun amazing was much more than the high caliber of the production itself.

William Graves enjoyed Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Jones Hall for the Performing Arts, in Houston, on Dec. 26, 2022. (Sherry Dong/The Epoch Times) — William Graves enjoyed Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Jones Hall for the Performing Arts, in Houston, on Dec. 26, 2022. Sherry Dong/The Epoch Times

In particular, Shen Yun showed a spirituality that gave Mr. Graves what he felt was a deeper connection to the traditional Chinese culture.

“It created more of a sense of respect for the culture. The fact that we have a common core of religion and identity in all of it, it created some unity in that respect,” he said. “Very inspirational. It’s great to see what people can do when they come together.”

“The dancers came together. They performed a show for a bunch of people in the audience who came together and on top of that, it unified us as an audience behind the message of divinity. The show performance, the work that had to go into it, the appreciation for it all,” he said.

Traditional Chinese culture was indeed a spiritual one, as the ancients believed it was divinely inspired. China was once known as the Land of the Divine, and the idea of harmony between heaven, earth, and humankind was a core tenet of its civilization for millennia. In the stories and the essence behind the art itself, Mr. Grave sensed that spirituality and its universality.

“The message that they send through their physical movements is absolutely stunning, powerful, and reaches people. As an audience, we certainly appreciate all the work that goes into it and the beauty that comes through,” he said.

“It reaches your heart. I lost my mother recently and, the spirituality that comes through is powerful, it’s very strong,” Mr. Graves said. “It reminds you that there’s a higher power—there’s a higher being—and the dancers did a fantastic job of interpreting a lot of that in their motions, movements, grace and beauty—it all came together.

Reporting by Sally Sun and Sherry Dong.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.