ESCONDIDO, Calif.—Brad Clayton, a retired gymnast, and Hasan Kalin decided to attend Shen Yun Performing Arts on Jan. 16 because they heard that there would be Chinese
history, dance, and
live music.
“I wanted to see it because I don’t have any information about Chinese culture. I’m from Turkey—so, in the past, [our histories] are kind of related. We came from Asia to Europe,” Mr. Kalin said.
Exiting the California Center for the Arts at the end of the evening, he was very satisfied.
“It’s good. The synchronization of everyone was really good, and I also liked the music. I [liked] the dancing because it wasn’t just dance—it was telling a story all the time.”
Mr. Clayton added that
Shen Yun brought together the past and the present and even portrayed the people’s fight for human rights in
modern-day China.
“It’s educational as well as beautiful. The flowers and colors … I loved the women [
dancers]—they really inspired me every time they came out,” Mr. Clayton said.
“The male [dancers]—because I used to be a gymnast, so I know how hard it is—the techniques. It’s really hard. A lot of people don’t understand how hard it is to dance like they did, so I really respect that.”
Based in New York, Shen Yun artists are highly trained in
classical Chinese dance. Dating back thousands of years, it is one of the world’s most athletic and expressive art forms.
According to Shen Yun’s website, the classical Chinese dance we see in
China today is heavily mixed with military and modern dance styles. Only at
Shen Yun can you find it performed in its purest form—the way it was originally passed down through the generations.
Mr. Hassan appreciated Shen Yun’s effort to revive traditional culture and showcase the beauty of pre-communist China to the world.
“I realized that after communism, many things have changed in China. So, to have this [spiritual] feeling—and to share this feeling—it’s not [as easy as] before. People are not free to share these experiences,” he said.
“The way [
Shen Yun] shows people that if you have spiritual [beliefs] and if you have a free soul—you will have more happiness. I liked that message of the show.”
Mr. Clayton, too, thought that aspect of the show was beautiful. He also loved how Shen Yun blended stage performance with its
innovative 3D projections to further explain the stories.
“I thought that was beautiful. Americans take freedom for granted. They don’t realize what China has been through and that the people are being
suppressed,” he said, adding that, for him, the three principles introduced by Shen Yun—truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance—“represents hope.”
“When [people] don’t have hope, they don’t have anything.”
Reporting by Linda Jiang and Jennifer Tseng.
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