DETROIT—On Feb. 8, company director John DeBoni attended Shen Yun Performing Arts’ third of four consecutive performances at the Detroit Opera House. He thought the experience was “fantastic, phenomenal.”
“The colors of the costumes are just amazing, along with the dancing and the discipline. It’s very good,” he exclaimed. “The movements [are] elegant—it’s very flowing.”
As one of the oldest civilizations in the world, China’s 5,000 years of history is filled with breathtaking legends and rich traditions. Yet, within just a few decades of the Chinese communists’ rise to power, this magnificent culture was destroyed.
Today, the New York-based artists are dedicated to reviving this lost civilization and bringing back to the world through dance and music, the beauty and divine-inspired culture of pre-communist China.
“You should lose your culture [because] then you lose your identity,” he explained. “You have to bring it back. You can’t stamp out thousands of years of culture … It’s something they must do.”
He believed that Shen Yun serves as an ambassador to other nations, offering people like him around the world an opportunity to glimpse into traditional Chinese culture.
Moreover, Mr. DeBoni enjoyed the music by Shen Yun’s live orchestra and was especially moved by the solo performance by Shen Yun’s soprano.
“I enjoy the music quite a bit. It’s great,” he said. “That lady’s solo was amazing; her voice is incredible ... It’s a beautiful song.”
Mr. DeBoni loved that the soprano was singing about heaven and thought she delivered “a very universal” message.
“The message I got is that—at one point, we’re all going to be in a much better place,” he expressed. “So, we can go through our trials and our tribulations and the tough times—but at the end of our life, something better waits for us.”
