Shen Yun Reminds Audiences of the Importance of Traditional Values
BAKERSFIELD, Calif.—When the world believes that everything must be proven before it is considered real, the spiritual side of humanity is forced to take the backseat. Shen Yun Performing Arts is showing audiences that higher powers exist and only the good and pure will have a chance to see them.
“The baritone that sang the song and the translated in the lyrics was a beautiful message that I think resonates with anybody that wants to live a good moral life, especially a Christian life,” said Jessica Mahlmann, a dentist.
Shen Yun is based in New York, and its singers are trained in the traditional bel canto technique. Displayed on Shen Yun’s patented digital backdrop, the translation of the text is available for audiences of any nationality.
“It’s important that they’re talking about [how] atheism and evolution are the main culprits, and that heaven awaits for those who are with tradition and trying to improve in morals,” said Steven Mahlmann, a teacher.
“I kind of looked around thinking, oh, I hope everybody agrees here with this message because it’s an important one,” added Ms. Mahlmann.
Shen Yun’s dancers are trained in classical Chinese dance. To succeed in this dance form, it is important to understand the culture behind the dance on top of mastery of the techniques.
“I think that it’s great to see the unity that the dancers have with each other and how we can experience some of their culture together,” said Mr. Mahlmann.
Dance is a sport and an art that requires not only completing the steps but doing it with grace and ease. No matter what the artist is portraying, they must get into character to make it convincing.
“They are not just performing, which is really a good performance, but just to know what they are sacrificing. Also, some of the things I’m learning too is about the gymnastics. They come from the classical dance, so I think that was interesting as well,” said Mr. Mahlmann.
One of the stories portrayed on the stage is about Falun Dafa practitioners who are being persecuted for their faith in China. The Chinese regime took its evil oppression a step further and sought to profit from its prisoners by trafficking their organs.
“They had the one dance where they showed the organ harvesting. It’s inspiring just to see that they are sacrificing. I think just knowing the knowledge behind, the story behind it, I think it makes it more powerful,” said Mr. Mahlmann.
Shen Yun is dedicated to showing the beauty of China’s 5,000 years of civilization. The true face of Chinese history is not what the Chinese Communist Party tells the world.
“It’s a beautiful show. The dancers are all really talented. And the message is clear too that the mission of [Shen Yun] is to get the word out about what China was like before communism. So I support and appreciate the message too and the morals behind the [performance],” said Ms. Mahlmann.
Reporting by Linda Jiang and Maria Han.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
