DENVER, Colo.—Shen Yun Performing Arts delighted the audiences which attended the performances from April 3 through 6 at the Buell Theatre.
Shen Yun is sharing China’s 5,000 years of traditional culture before communism through its worldwide tour.
“I think that it’s a wonderfully rich culture that has so many different areas in China, because it’s so big, and it was really neat to see just a really small slice of the people and their backgrounds, and just to see the art,” oil painter John Lintott said.
Company CFO Rita Harding said, “It’s so nice to learn about Chinese culture.”
“Very well done,” Steve Kull said. “The talent that’s on stage is exceptional. You can see that they really work at it and that they really are dedicated to their craft.
A retired executive vice president and general manager for a wine and spirits wholesale distribution company, Mr. Kull expanded on his praise. “From the music to the costumes to the performers, all are outstanding.”
Filmmaker Sol Ortiz was especially impressed by the story-based dance depicting the Chinese Communist Party’s persecution of Falun Dafa, a peaceful meditation whose followers adhere to the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance.
“The story of Falun Dafa and the persecution, that’s very important,” he said. “It’s important to see the other side of China that other people don’t see. So, that’s why I wanted to see [Shen Yun].”
“It’s a travesty that the communist takeover has led to religious suppression in China. I think that [having] a platform for art to make its way into the mainstream and remind people where we come from is very important,” he said.
“It was spectacular,” he said, describing how the instruments were set up and how the orchestra perfectly matched the dancing. “It’s just phenomenal, very beautiful. Just phenomenal. All the percussion, gong, strings, bass—it’s just amazing. They’re so good.”
Julie Snyder, a director of finance, said Shen Yun’s stories were about “kindness, compassion, empathy. It’s very spiritual.”
For Shawne Mastronardi, a contractor, Shen Yun was “a sensory experience” that showed “respect for the human soul and a reverence for beauty and how that helps us heal and come together.”
Nyx Joynt, a college student in Asian Studies, said, “The people and the dedication that I saw on stage today show that there is a great passion for preserving the culture. [Shen Yun] just felt like a deeply spiritual and moving experience to me.”
“It is really good to rewrite stereotypes and to see, in America especially, the stereotypes about foreign relations rewritten because communism should not be the main narrative that we listen to about global politics. There are people with passions and a very rich cultural history we should listen to,” Ms. Joynt said.
Amory Host, who retired as CEO of a solar development company, said, “It was an extraordinary experience. I absolutely loved it—spectacular dance, spectacular colors, and spectacular performance all around. Absolutely loved it. My first time, but I will be back.”
There are still opportunities to see Shen Yun in the Denver area, including Colorado Springs, and then Riverside and Claremont in California during April and May.
