NEW YORK CITY—Chloe Denning, financial planner, was wowed by the talent she saw in Shen Yun Performing Arts, which proved a fun and informative experience.
“I loved the energy and the colors and all of the choreography. There’s so much talent on that stage, and it was really interesting to learn more about the Chinese culture that I haven’t heard in the past,” said Ms. Denning after seeing Shen Yun at Lincoln Center on March 29.
New York-based Shen Yun is the world’s top classical Chinese dance company. Through
music and
dance, Shen Yun’s mission is to show audiences the beauty of China before communism.
“I think the mission is really important. Something that is so important for so many people should not be suppressed. And it’s really just upsetting to hear that it is,” she said, referencing the Chinese communist regime’s long campaign to stop Shen Yun from performing. “So I would encourage everyone to support the
mission as much as they can.”
For millennia, China was known by names such as “the land of the Divine,” or the “Celestial Empire,” as the civilization was a spiritual one, and its people believed the culture a gift from the heavens. When the Chinese communist regime took power in 1949, it began a series of violent campaigns to destroy the traditional culture, which is but one reason
Shen Yun cannot perform in China.
Ms. Denning saw in the culture parallels to her own Christian faith, with its spiritual lessons.
“There was a lot of incorporation of God and Christian beliefs, which definitely resonated with me,” she said. “And I appreciate the reminder of focusing on the beautiful and the important things in life, as opposed to the materialistic elements of the modern world.”
“It was a really meaningful show,” she said.
Reporting by Daksha Devnani and Catherine Yang.
