Shen Yun Performing Arts brought a taste of traditional Chinese culture to Fairfax, Virginia last week.
Virginia State Senator Dick Black (R) saw the performance that night and said he appreciated its portrayal of Chinese history.
“It reminds people of the traditional beauty of China,” he said.
“If you can ever see Shen Yun, then go and see it, because it’s very, very beautiful. It leaves you with a good feeling inside. And it teaches you that there is the ancient beauty of China that existed long before we existed.”
Fran Meyer, who has worked in dance education for 40 years, also saw the performance that night.
“The choreography was great,” she said. “The quality, the technique, the dancers were fabulous. I thoroughly enjoyed it.”
Meyer serves as an educational consultant and executive director of at the National Dance Society and the Society of State Leaders of Health and Physical Education.
“Every dance was different. It was fantastic,” she said. “I liked it all. Each piece was wonderful.”
“It is inspiring and that’s just nice to see how different cultures interpret things.”
Shen Yun uses classical Chinese dance and hundreds of handmade costumes to showcase 5,000 years of China’s divinely inspired culture.
“The colors were exquisite. The dance was amazing,” said Russell Hall, deputy to the commanding general at the Army’s Aviation Center of Excellence. “I feel like we got introduced to some very special Chinese culture.”
“I am very interested in how close some of their dances come to some of ours, which we’ve obviously copied over the centuries,” said Robert Snow, a retired assistant director of public affairs for the Secret Service.
China was once known as the land of the divine, and ancient Chinese people believed that gods bestowed them with their rich culture.
In China today, however, the communist regime has tried to stamp out religion and people’s belief in gods, and as well as traditional Chinese values. For this reason, Shen Yun has performed all over the world, but has not performed in China.
“It shows a very beautiful aspect of China and the Chinese people. And it is a shame that the Chinese people can’t see it,” said Black.
“And it also has a message, a very important message, about some of the challenges in China—the lack of freedom, and something that has been a big problem for a long time.”
NTD News, Fairfax, Virginia
