Shen Yun Is ‘The Prettiest Thing I’ve Seen in Years,’ Says Civil Right Lawyer
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Katherine Gonzalez attends Shen Yun Performing Arts with her son at The Kennedy Center Opera House, in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 28., 2024. Terri Wu/The Epoch Times
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Katherine Culliton-Gonzalez, a civil rights lawyer, watched Shen Yun Performing Arts with her son at The Kennedy Center Opera House on Jan. 28.
“It’s beautiful,” Ms. Culliton-Gonzalez said. “It’s so moving. It’s really beautiful. It’s the prettiest thing I’ve seen in years.
“You could feel the emotion, and the dancing was amazing, the music was amazing, and I just love the experience. By the end, I was thinking that they’re dancing with their souls in divine beauty. It was so moving.”
Based in New York, Shen Yun’s name means “the beauty of divine beings dancing.” Since its inception in 2006, Shen Yun has expanded from one to eight equally-sized companies that tour around the world simultaneously, with a mission to revive traditional Chinese culture through classical Chinese dance and music.
Ms. Culliton-Gonzalez said that she loved the music performed by Shen Yun’s live orchestra, which combines traditional Chinese and Western instruments. She especially commented on how much she enjoyed listening to the erhu, a traditional Chinese two-stringed instrument that is played like a violin.
“It’s so good to be experiencing things live,” Ms. Culliton-Gonzalez said. “We all were … in awe of the show and really inspired.”
Moved to Tears
Jennifer Shannon attended Shen Yun Performing Art at The Kennedy Center Opera House, in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 28, 2024. Sherry Dong/The Epoch Times
Jennifer Shannon, a professional violinist with the National Philharmonic Orchestra, was also among those in the audience. Ms. Shannon, who had watched Shen Yun three years ago, said that she was invited to see Shen Yun, and that one of her former students was now the concertmaster of the Shen Yun orchestra.
Ms. Shannon said that there were many moments in the performance that felt special to her.
“I have to say that I had a few tears,” she said. “The messages were very beautiful … It just leaves you with a very positive, upbeat feeling and the message of kindness and joy comes across very well.”
Ms. Shannon also praised the unique combination of East and West in Shen Yun’s orchestra.
“[It’s] very well done,” she said. “Not easy to do well, I’m sure, but very nicely done … The arrangements were beautiful. The musical arrangements and the way they could make the messages come out very clearly, using ancient stories as well as modern time stories came across very well.”
Optimism and perseverance were themes Ms. Shannon said she saw in Shen Yun’s performance.
“The beauty of the cultural dancing rituals and everything from China, it should be preserved. It’s just beautiful, and it should be seen everywhere.”
Reporting by Terri Wu, Sherry Dong, and Wandi Zhu.
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