SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun Inspires Memphis Audience

Jan 28, 2024

MEMPHIS, Tenn.—On Jan. 27, Danny Chambers, a retired pilot, and Adriana Chambers, a model, watched Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts.

“It’s very inspiring,” Mrs. Chambers said. “I really love it. Everything is so synchronized, and the stories [are told] beautifully.”

Based in New York, Shen Yun was founded in 2006 and quickly became the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company. Its mission is to revive traditional Chinese culture and show audiences around the world the beauty of “China before communism.”

Shen Yun’s program includes story-based dances, some of which are based in modern-day China and depict the Chinese Communist Party’s persecution of followers of Falun Gong, a spiritual practice that teaches the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance.

Mr. Chambers said he appreciated Shen Yun’s portrayal of the human rights issues in today’s China.

“I think that was well presented, and it’s sad and tragic,” he said. “I’m very saddened by the oppression of the Chinese people, and we sometimes think of the Chinese as very bad if we don’t understand that it’s a political oppression of their people. I wish we could change that.”

Mrs. Chambers said that the performance inspired her by showing her hope.

“They inspired me a lot because even though we have a very difficult time right now, the music and the presentation showed us we have hope,” she said. “We have good people with good hearts … if we come all together, this [human rights abuse] can be changed … we can change the world. You guys did a beautiful job in doing that presentation.”

Mr. Chambers also expressed his high regard for the performers.

“Your dance, your singing, all of it, and the performance as well the orchestra’s performance—is all very inspiring,” he said. “They have worked so hard to make a presentation like this, and their artistic merit and their artistic talents are unbelievable, just fascinating.”

‘We’re So Blessed That You Brought It to Memphis’

Peter and Laura Lutrick attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts in Memphis, Tenn., on Jan. 27, 2024. (Yeawen Hung/The Epoch Times) — Peter and Laura Lutrick attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts in Memphis, Tenn., on Jan. 27, 2024. Yeawen Hung/The Epoch Times

Also in the audience were Peter Lutrick, a quality assurance specialist, and Laura Lutrick, a development director for the Parkinson’s Foundation. The couple felt that Shen Yun’s performance is important for today’s society.

“The show was very inspiring,” Mrs. Lutrick said. “I thought the message that it delivered was so needed in today’s society—that we all need to love one another and treat each other with kindness. It was a beautiful performance.”

“I would agree with that exactly,” Mr. Lutrick said. “I couldn’t have said it better. It was very beautiful, very spiritual, very uplifting, full of energy. Makes you feel good … that feeling of power, talking about atheism as a lie, and there’s a Creator and all those things—very, very powerful.”

Mrs. Lutrick said that another message she saw in Shen Yun’s performance was that “there is a Creator who created all of us, and that we should live harmoniously together and without sin and live a righteous life.”

“I love it, it’s so needed,” she said. “I think it’s so important, and we’re so blessed that you brought it to Memphis.”

Reporting by Yeawen Hung 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.