Shen Yun Performing Arts opened in the Texas cities of Austin and Houston on Dec. 26.
One of the Austin audience members was Lisa Manke, a sales executive, who said she was “so impressed by the costumes, and the interaction of the video and the real life is incredible. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
The video that Ms. Manke was referring to was the animated backdrop, Shen Yun’s own patented invention.
New York-based Shen Yun is the world’s leading classical Chinese dance company, with a mission to revive 5,000 years of Chinese civilization. Since its inception in 2006, Shen Yun has grown from one to eight touring groups that bring the divinely inspired “China before communism” to around 1 million audience members each season.
Ms. Manke said she “was quite surprised by the discussion that these performances couldn’t be done in today’s China.”
“It’s kind of sad that expression, artistic expression, cannot be as free as it is here in the United States.”
A Houston audience member, Scott Walter, a business development manager, said that Shen Yun was fantastic.
“I think it’s a great message that everyone should go see, be entertained, and enjoy the beauty of it, but also understand that there’s a deeper message behind Shen Yun,” Mr. Walter said.
“It’s important to maintain the culture,“ he said, adding that a lot of cultures are based around religion, ”whether it be Buddhism, whether it be Christianity.”
Mr. Walter spoke about the importance of culture, tradition, and morals concerning the Shen Yun performance. "I feel like that’s a very, very important aspect to see and understand,” he said.
He offered some advice. “Please come see, not just for the spectacle, but for a fantastic presentation of something that’s difficult to find in the history books or you might never hear about, which is the culture and religion of pre-communist China.”
Shen Yun showcases a mix of traditional art and spirituality to give audiences an understanding of a deeper message and an appreciation for the Divine.
Nigia Hay, a therapist clinic owner who saw the Austin performance, said the dancers were out of this world. “I haven’t seen one out of step, and [there’s] so many of them on the stage at the same time. That’s wonderful,” she said.
In Houston, Diana Trevino, a director at an oil and gas company, said, “We love it; we love the colors, the music, and the quality of the dance.”
She said she felt “very happy, very excited, and I want to learn more about Chinese culture.”
At the same performance, Julia Trevino, a high school assistant principal, said she “felt that we have made the right decision by deciding to come and see this show. It’s amazing.”
Shen Yun will perform in Austin until Dec. 29 and in Houston until Jan. 1 before returning for two more performances there on Jan. 27 and 28.
