On March 21, Shen Yun graced the stage at the Gyeonggi Arts Center in Suwon to a sold-out audience. Among those in attendance were South Korean politician Kang Sang-tae and his wife. 

“Beautiful, wonderful,” Kang said in English, before elaborating more in his native tongue of Korean. “The performers put on a graceful performance from the start to the end. The dance, the vocal [vignette], the high-level skills of the dancers, were all very impressive.” 

She said, “This performance is like no other,” before adding that she was deeply touched by the skills of the dancers. 

Kang is a city council member for the Korean city of Seongnam, the second largest city in Gyeonggi Province after Suwon. Kang also holds one of the top-ranking council positions as vice chairman. 

Shen Yun is a classical Chinese dance and music company based in New York. Since its inception in 2006, the company has now developed into six equal-sized companies. One of the six companies, the New York Company, is now in Germany, after putting on 15 performances at the Lincoln Center in New York City in March. 

The World Company has been in Asia since January, with visits to Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. In South Korea, after gracing the stages at the Korean cities of Goyang and Suwon, the company will now travel to Gangneung, Daegu, and Cheongju, before moving on to Taiwan beginning on April 3. 

“I enjoyed seeing the traditional Chinese dance that has a long history. It was just a wonderful time being here,” Kang said. 

The Korean politician was inspired by one of the story dances about divine beings coming down to Earth to help people. He explained: “Gods give a helping hand to good people, and these people can live out a good life. I feel that I must live with kindness in my heart.” 

Aside from classical Chinese dance and story-based dance, Shen Yun also showcases ethnic and folk dance, with orchestral accompaniment and solo vocalists. 

Kang’s wife was likewise inspired, saying that she should also be kind in her life. She added that she was blown away by the soprano singer, saying that she was spiritually uplifted after seeing her sing. 

Shen Yun vocalists sing with a technique called bel canto, a technique that at its true form has been lost in both the East and the West, according to the company’s website.

Kang, knowing that Shen Yun will travel to other Korean cities after visiting Suwon, said that he will use his social media to tell more people about Shen Yun, so that more Korean locals will come to appreciate it. 

“This is a performance that doesn’t come by often. People should come to see it at least once. Its programs are good for people of all ages and genders.”