EUGENE, Ore.—On Jan. 25, company CEO Duane Pederson and his wife Michaela Begg, an occupational therapist, attended Shen Yun Performing Arts’ evening show at the Hult Center. The couple absolutely loved it.
For 5,000 years, China’s civilization flourished under the shared belief that the divine will bless those who uphold traditional moral values. Tragically, within just a few decades of the communist party’s violent takeover, these beliefs were erased and replaced with atheism.
The mission of Shen Yun artists is to return to the world’s stage—the glory and beauty of China’s 5,000 years of divinely inspired culture.
“I loved it. It was very emotional and powerful. I actually cried at one part. I love that [Shen Yun] is exposing communism. It’s absolutely critical right now at this time in history. I think it’s really important that people see it,” Mr. Pederson stated.
Shen Yun “shows the bright side. It shows the beautiful spirituality of what [China] was, and it contrasts that with what it has become. I think it’s a really important show.”
“They’re exceptionally dedicated to what they’re doing, and they’re driven by an inner spirit and a cause that allows the dance to come out through them. It’s not just through their bodies. It’s actually coming from a more emotional place,” she said. “It’s a spiritual dance.”
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.
According to the company’s website, the classical Chinese dance we see in China today is heavily mixed with military and modern dance styles. Only at Shen Yun can you find it performed in its purest form—the way it was originally passed down through the generations.
Reflecting on the story-based dance raising awareness for the human rights issues currently ongoing in present-day China, Ms. Begg said it’s a “story that needs to be told and retold until people actually understand what’s going on right here at this time in our world.”
Ms. Begg will be taking home with her the message that we should all “live and be creative, and hold on to your roots.”
“We all need to stay together, unite across the world in a real way where we’re all just free and expressing that freedom in whatever way we can, and [fight against] those who try to oppose us,” she said.
