ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.—For small business owner Kate Brandao, attending Shen Yun Performing Arts’ evening show at the Duke Energy Center for the Arts on Jan. 18, was “a dream come true.” She received the ticket as a Christmas gift after seeing advertisements on TV.
“I saw how people were impacted by [Shen Yun] and I knew that there was something more than just the visual, it was about feelings,” she said.
“I felt it all the way through. The stories and the music and the orchestra—all of that was just an amazing, amazing experience.”
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 communist regime’s rise to power, this magnificent culture was almost destroyed.
The spread of atheism quickly eradicated Chinese people’s belief in the divine.
Today, the New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts is working to revive the traditional, divinely inspired culture of China, and bring back to the world through dance and music the beauty of pre-communist China.
The show “purifies the soul,” she said.
She said Shen Yun was inspiring. “The light of the movements—definitely divine,” she added, saying it inspired her “to look more within and to the divine and have more light.”
“Everyone on stage had that presence that they were enjoying themselves. It’s hard to explain but you can just feel it,” she said.
Ms. Brandao was captivated by Shen Yun’s original musical compositions accompanying the dances. She heard “goodness and kindness” conveyed through the music and loved how emotional and expressive the pieces were.
According to the company’s website, Shen Yun’s live orchestra is the first in the world to permanently combine ancient Chinese and Western instruments.
Seamlessly blending the grandeur of a Western orchestration with the ethereal beauty of Chinese melodies, the music produces a profound emotional range.
Reflecting back on the more spiritual pieces depicting the arrival of the Creator on Earth to offer salvation to mankind, Ms. Brandao said it reminded her that “we are not alone.”
“You can find help if you look within,” she said.
Finally, she would like to thank all the performers for the lovely evening and tell them that they’re amazing. “There was a lot of giving in the show and I appreciate it,” she said.
