Shen Yun Is ‘Super Impressive’ and Educational, Says Mayor’s Chief of Staff
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Dante Bidwell, the chief of staff for the mayor of Baton Rouge, presented a proclamation to Shen Yun at the Baton Rouge River Center Theater, on Jan. 3, 2024. NTD
BATON ROUGE, La.—Dante Bidwell, chief of staff for Baton Rouge Mayor Sharon Weston Broome, attended Shen Yun at the Baton Rouge River Center Theater on Jan. 3, and presented a proclamation honoring the performing arts company on behalf of the mayor.
It was Mr. Bidwell’s first time seeing the performance, and he thought it was “super impressive” and beautiful.
“The dancers were so acrobatic, the costumes, the music—I thought the instrumentalists were incredible,” he said. “It was absolutely beautiful.”
Based in New York, Shen Yun has been bringing China’s 5,000 years of civilization to life through dance and music since 2006. Every year, the company presents a brand-new performance to audiences worldwide.
Mr. Bidwell especially loved the ethnic diversity presented in the performance and thought the Mongolian and Yi dances were fantastic.
Shen Yun dancers are all highly trained in classical Chinese dance. Thousands of years old, it is one of the most expressive and comprehensive dance systems in the world.
Combined with the orchestra—the first in the world to seamlessly blend Chinese and Western instruments—Shen Yun brings to the stage amazing stories from ancient times to the modern day.
Regarding the artists’ mission to revive traditional culture and values, Mr. Bidwell said he was inspired to learn more about Chinese culture and to “get a better understanding of some of the themes that we were seeing.”
He added that Shen Yun was very educational and wished that he could have brought his children.
“What I [learned] was to not shy away from tradition and not shy away from the things that brought us here,” he said.
CJ and Natalie Barrois enjoyed Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Baton Rouge River Center Theater on Jan. 3, 2024. Sally Sun/The Epoch Times
Also in the audience were company manager CJ Barrois and his wife Natalie. The Shen Yun tickets were purchased as a Christmas present for Mrs. Barrois, and she happily confirmed that they were “a wonderful gift.”
Referring to Shen Yun’s story-based dances exposing the truth of human rights violations in present-day China, Mr. Barrois said he learned a lot.
“Especially with everything going on in today’s world, I think it’s very important to see [a different side] and see the culture and history of what China was before communism,” he said.
Mr. Barrois added that the ancient wisdom, teachings, and spirituality portrayed in Shen Yun can benefit people because “a lot of that is missing in today’s world.” If given a chance, he would like to tell the performers that “they’re doing a phenomenal job.”
“Their dedication—the amount of time it takes for them to put together this show—they’re fantastic at what they do, and it definitely shows.”
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