ESCONDIDO, Calif.—On March 16, sisters Jessica Gorman, a company manager, and Mackenzie Tipton, a school staff member, enjoyed Shen Yun Performing Arts’ matinee at the California Center for the Arts. They brought along Jake and Mackenzie Tipton. The whole family had a wonderful time.
“Ten stars. I really liked where they had those long sleeves and they could swing them around and then [pull them] back in,” Jake said happily, referring to the piece where the dancers’ long sleeves billowed and flowed like the gentle movement of water on stage.
McKenzie, on the other hand, was especially moved by the story-based dance set in modern China. It conveys the message that if people are willing to uphold traditional moral values and treat each other with kindness, the Creator will aid us in times of trouble.
She loved it because “it has a lot of people just helping each other.”
Based in New York, Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company dedicated to reviving China’s rich culture nearly lost under decades of communist rule.
The family had seen Shen Yun’s advertisements for years, and Ms. Gorman was thrilled that the children were finally old enough to share the experience with her. The performance exceeded all her expectations.
“We’re trying to get them to have more exposure to the theater and different types of performances,” she said.
Ms. Gorman particularly enjoyed the traditional dances performed by both the male and female dancers.
They were “really beautiful—just watching the movement,” she said. “I think the message was really beautiful too, [about] kindness prevailing.”
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.
