DALLAS—Chad Hetrick, a probation officer, and his wife Shannon, an elementary school teacher, expressed their satisfaction with Shen Yun Performing Arts after attending its evening show at the Music Hall at Fair Park on Jan. 20.
Mr. Hetrick said enthusiastically as he exited the theater, “It was worth every penny.”
“For first-time people to ever see it—it’s like, ‘Wow.’ It gave me goosebumps,” he stated. “[My tears] welled up a few times. It was also comical and very funny at times. It was an ensemble that’s out of this world.”
Based in New York, Shen Yun’s performance is comprised of a series of short pieces that take its audience on a ride through the dynasties and across the vast regions of China.
Shen Yun’s orchestra is the first in the world to permanently combine ancient Chinese and Western instruments, according to the company’s website.
“The stories that parallel with God—the Creator, and mankind—that’s parallel to Christianity. It’s just very neat, very neat. Very eye-opening and very spiritual,” Mr. Hetrick expressed.
The message he will be taking home with him is that irrespective of cultural differences, humans are not so different after all. Despite the inherent goodness in mankind, there has been a decline in morality. The solution to this predicament is to look to the Creator and strive to follow in his footsteps.
Prior to the communist regime’s violent takeover, ancient Chinese people were very spiritual and had a deep belief in the divine. The artists’ mission is to bring back this traditional culture.
“Even the [legends] that happened thousands of years ago relate to kindness—We can use all that even today,” she said.