Five Shen Yun performances in Boston ended 2022 with packed theaters and unforgettable experiences.
Charles Gravenhorst is the president of ProScore Music Engraving, he was a tenor at the San Francisco Opera. He saw Shen Yun on New Year’s Eve as a Christmas present to his wife.
“I have never been more satisfied. At any theatrical experience in my life everywhere, from Broadway to the opera, to sports events, it really is one of the most satisfying events I’ve ever been to.
“Because it is hour after hour of thoroughly satisfying, rich, and vibrant music and color,” he added.
Julie Caldarone is a former member of the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Foreign Languages Association.
“The performance was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen,” said Caldarone. “I just thought the colors, the athleticism of the dancers, the message that it was sending—it was really, really beautiful.
“I think the message was to be kind to people and to allow people to have freedom in their thoughts. And really kindness,” said Caldarone.
Karen Biscoe, an executive recruiter, has been waiting to see Shen Yun for years.
“Historically, it’s incredibly eye-opening,” said Biscoe. “But the music and the costumes and the emotions that you see through the dancers, it’s like nothing else I’ve ever seen before. It has been a tremendous experience and exposure to the history of China.
“It’s a worthwhile mission. There’s just so much to hold on to, there should be a tremendous amount of—and I think there probably is—courage and bravery, and desire and hope that generations to come will be able to see what they have held so close and are trying so hard to preserve.”
“The emotion, the energy, the vibrancy of the culture. I think the dancers are absolutely amazing. You can tell they’re world-class dancers,” Biscoe added. “What you’re seeing is multi-layered, and you feel the spirituality come through, not just in the way that the dancers are performing, but the CGI effects really bring it to light.”
Shen Yun’s mission is to revive the beauty and goodness of China before communism. Audience members say it’s a needed message.
Tom Schinkel, a business adviser at Thomas Schinkel and Associates, said: “I think it’s fabulous. I think the world needs it,” said Schinkel.
“It gives me confidence, and it gives me a positive attitude. And it also gives me confidence that it’s okay to cultivate your own identity.”
“I think as an American, you get so few chances to actually see true Chinese culture,” said Jamie Pearce, VP of Onset Data Loggers. “So this is a rare chance to actually learn and see it live. It’s great. It’s fantastic.
“I think everyone should see it. It’s beautiful. I think that it is just the energy of the performers to say, to talk about China before communism, and to bring back the freedom of the people the way the country was before the communists took over.”
The audience members added that Shen Yun is more than just a performance. It gives them a message of hope, compassion, and freedom.
“As piece after piece goes on, you’re captivated by not only the overwhelming beauty but the sense that this is beauty that goes back so far, it has such a legacy. And at the same time, it is the heartfelt artistic expression of a people who are occupied and oppressed,” said Gravenhorst.
“It’s one thing to do something all by yourself with excellence, but to do something with excellence together with everyone else is such an encouragement to us to work together to be able to do things that are uplifting and encouraging to our families, to our neighbors, and to our countries to the world.”
Shen Yun will be performing in Worcester, Massachusetts starting Jan. 14.
NTD News, Boston Massachusetts.
