CHARLOTTE, N.C—Shen Yun Performing Arts enchanted theatergoers on Sunday afternoon by reviving of one of the most ancient cultures in the world.
Based in New York, Shen Yun traverses the globe bringing to life Chinese culture and its imbued virtues, stories, and legends.
“In less than ten minutes each, Shen Yun dances recount ancient myths, bygone heroes, or celestial paradises,” states the company’s website. “Whether set in the past or in contemporary China, every dance embodies traditional Chinese values. Ideals of loyalty, filial piety, and veneration for the divine are cherished and celebrated. Heroes are extolled for their compassion and tolerance as much as their courage or determination when facing adversity.”
“It’s was just very entertaining on a lot of levels,” said Mr. Jim McNamara, a technical specialist at Parsons Corporation, who attended the performance at the Charlotte Knight Theater with his wife Cama. Cama is in the publishing sector, and helped found the Charlotte Parent magazine.
“It was just incredible,” he added.
Mrs. McNamara said that is was different than anything she’d ever seen before, and “quite fascinating.”
Classical Chinese dance, the core of a Shen Yun performance, has drawn from every era and dynasty throughout the thousands-year old Chinese civilization, according to Shen Yun’s website.
“Classical Chinese dance is a culture left to us by the ancients who came before us, its beauty should be riches shared by all of humanity, its purity should not be contaminated,” the website states.
Mrs. McNamara couldn’t believe the complex synchronization between the dancers, calling it “perfection.”
‘It keeps you on your toes’
Mrs. Rowan Banudi came to the performance with a daughter and her friend, and all also enjoyed Shen Yun.
“It’s amazing, it’s really entertaining. It keeps you on your toes,” Mrs. Banudi, originally from Syria, said.
Ms. Bucheral Alebi, a student at UNC-Charlotte, said the performance was an amazing cultural experience, and put a recent class she took into perspective.
Ms. Pada Raheem, a student from Turkey studying nutrition, said Shen Yun is “an eye opening experience.”
“I feel like the show is very entertaining,” she said. “It’s very colorful, very engaging, very beautiful and very graceful.”
Reporting by Thai Ton and Zachary Stieber.
Shen Yun Performing Arts, based in New York, tours the world on a mission to revive traditional Chinese culture. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
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