Shen Yun ‘Sends a Very Positive Message About Community and Tradition,’ Says Dance Instructor
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NEW YORK—Dance instructor Andrew Jannetti, who is also the former president of the NY State Dance Education Association, decided to attend Shen Yun Performing Arts because 80 percent of his students are Asian and he “wanted come and see to get some ideas and inspiration.”
In the Lincoln Center audience on April 11, Mr. Jannetti said he “loved the movements [in Shen Yun] very much” and that the dancers are “really highly trained.”
“What impressed me most is the high quality of the production, and the ability and technique of the dancers. Even the singer was quite good. I enjoyed her [singing] a lot because I used to study voice also,” he said.
“It seems that [the artists] are very dedicated to the performance and to telling the stories. The traditional stories are interesting to hear, to learn that background.”
Based in New York, Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company. The artists’ mission is to bring back China’s 5,000 years of divinely inspired culture that had been destroyed by decades of communist rule.
Mr. Jannetti thinks “the show sends a very positive message about community and tradition,” and he will for sure be telling his students all about it.
“I wish I could videotape it. I’m going to tell them how much fun it was and how exciting it is. Some of my students who have that acrobatic tendency would want to do stuff like this—I would encourage them to keep dancing.”
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. Using classical Chinese, folk, and ethnic dances, as well as solo musical performances, the artists recount tales from ancient times to the modern day.
Katie and Lizza Barna enjoyed Shen Yun's evening performance at the Lincoln Center on April 11, 2024. Sally Sun/The Epoch Times
Also in the audience were sisters Lizza and Katie Barna.
Katie, who is a dancer and model, thought the show was “absolutely mesmerizing.”
“The visuals are stunning and all the performers are extremely talented. We enjoyed it very much,” she said happily. “It was beautiful and very creative, very innovative—it’s unlike anything I’ve seen. Very culturally rich and just cool to watch.”
Shen Yun artists are highly trained in classical Chinese dance. Dating back thousands of years, it is one of the most athletic and expressive art forms in the world.
Lizzy chimed in that she was very impressed by the dancers’ precision.
“The precision is amazing, and the technique of the male dancers—amazing,” she said. “[The performers are] crushing it. They’re nailing it. Ten out of 10.”
Reporting by Frank Liang, Sally Sun, and Jennifer Tseng.
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