COLLEGE STATION, Texas—Sales Director Pamela Johnson and her husband Shawn, a retired teacher, enjoyed a wonderful evening on Feb. 4, attending Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Rudder Auditorium.
Though the couple had seen many ads prior to the performance, Mrs. Johnson said seeing Shen Yun live exceeded her expectations.
The commercial was “really beautiful but it doesn’t capture it,” she expressed. “[
Shen Yun] is so overwhelmingly beautifully done. The artistry, the
dance, the
music. I mean, you’re just taken.”
She also loved how the company’s innovative 3D backdrop seamlessly collaborated with the dancers and musicians on stage to enhance the storytelling. This cutting-edge technology is so novel that it holds its own patent.
“What’s blowing me away is the artistry. … You can see this vibrance and passion—I’m a little overwhelmed. It’s beautiful,” she said.
“I also like how they’re integrating the visual graphics and the backdrops because it [feels like] you’re taken away—captured in that moment. So, it’s really cool to be able to have that as well as the performers right there. I thought that was very clever to have done that.”
Endowed with 5,000 years of
history, China was once known as the “Land of the Divine.” For millenniums, its people believed that by keeping their hearts pure and adhering to strict moral standards, they will be blessed by the divine.
Indeed, for 5,000 years the country prospered. However, after the communist takeover and its spread of atheism, all this traditional culture was systematically destroyed. Today, the New York-based Shen Yun’s
mission is to bring back the beauty and goodness of pre-communist China.
Mr. Johnson was deeply impressed by this aspect of the performance.
“I really like the classical material they brought back because a lot of that was destroyed
under Mao. That revolution was no good to all the classic[s],” he said.
“[
Shen Yun] just go through the ages—the mandate of heaven, the bringing about of the valleys of gold—just the beauty that they’re expressing through the dance and their artistry up on stage is phenomenal.”
He also admired the dancers’ skill, the
storyline woven into their performances, and the traditional values they embodied.
“Bringing back those conservative values was more than I expected from this show … [For example,] the guy who was dating the fairy—he had to prove to the queen that he wanted to be with her … that he was worthy,” he said referring to the story-based program recounting the original legend of the Chinese Valentine.
“The essence of the dynasties is being shown through [Shen Yun]. It’s great to see that. It’s just amazing, so beautiful.”
For its 2025
touring season, Shen Yun’s eight equally-sized companies will be performing in over 200 cities across five continents. Met with wide acclaim since its establishment in 2006, the company can be expected to return each year with a brand-new set of choreography and musical compositions.
Reporting by Sonia Wu and Jennifer Tseng.
