PORTLAND, Ore.—Shen Yun Performing Arts was in Portland on April 4 for the finale of it four performances at the Keller Auditorium. Jeffrey Cleven, medical director of The Portland Clinic, was appreciative of the opportunity to spend the evening with the performing company.
“Beautiful, the dancing is very graceful,” he said after the performance. “I like the music, it’s very nice.”
Based in New York, Shen Yun presents audiences with scenes from 5,000 years of Chinese culture, from heavenly realms and ancient legends to modern heroic tales.
“Its stunning beauty and tremendous energy leave audiences uplifted and inspired,” reads the Shen Yun website.
Dr. Cleven said he always enjoys attending fine art performances, and Shen Yun was more than he could have asked for. “We like it very much. My wife is here with me, and it’s very beautiful.”
He said he also enjoyed the variety of sounds brought forth through Shen Yun’s mix of classical Chinese instruments and the Western symphonic style of orchestration.
The company’s website states that “the ability to seamlessly blend these two systems to create one fresh, harmonious sound is what makes the Shen Yun Performing Arts Orchestra unique.”
Shen Yun also brings to light the destruction forced upon traditional Chinese culture through 60 years of communist rule. Notably, since 1999, the regime has focused its powers and resources on a ruthless and systematic campaign against practitioners of Falun Gong—a spiritual practice guided by the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance—in an attempt to eradicate the group.
Dr. Cleven was surprised to hear that such oppressive measures are still in full force in today’s China. “I was thinking it was from Mao’s time. This is still happening now?”
“And a lot of this is hidden from us,” added Mrs. Cleven. “So, it opened our eyes, and we’re seeing a bit more here. And I do believe that the culture has been suppressed.”
“Not sure what we can do,” she concluded, adding that the most important thing is to know the truth.
Also in attendance for the April 4 performance was Michael Breda, a surgeon at Portland’s Good Samaritan Hospital.
“Of course, it was wonderful,” he said after the performance. “Very polished, beautiful costumes, and I think the integration of the dance with the background is very original—I really enjoyed it,” he said, referring to the backdrops in Shen Yun.
According to Shen Yun’s website, “With state-of-the-art graphics technology, Shen Yun’s digital-backdrop team creates vividly animated settings, extending the stage and transporting the audience to a world where heaven and earth are one.”
Dr. Breda said he really appreciated the variety of programs Shen Yun has to offer. From the music to the dance to the costumes, he said it was more than he was prepared for. “It’s a lot more grand of a spectacle than I expected. Bigger company, beautiful costumes—I was very impressed,” he added.
“I would very much recommend it to my friends, and I will recommend it,” he said.
Reporting by Li Mei, He Qing, and Michael Fitzgerald
