Magazine Editor Sees a ‘Great Message’ in Shen Yun

ROCHESTER, N.Y.—Susan Dyer, editor of Rochester Woman Magazine, was uplifted and deeply touched as she emerged from the Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company performance on Saturday, Feb. 19. She had attended the show at Rochester's Auditorium Theatre with her sister Deborah. The sisters didn't know what to expect going in, but Ms. Dyer said it was “so different” to what they could have ever imagined.

“It was fantastic. It was just such a pleasure to see,” Ms. Dyer said.

“One of the things that I really loved about it … is looking around the room and seeing the people in my community. I loved to watch their faces; they were so moved … They were so touched as if [watching] human stories that were so familiar.”

Deborah, who works in financial investments, was awed by the profound stories in Shen Yun. Each dance portrays a legendary tale, deeply rooted in traditional Chinese culture and beliefs. These stories, while entertaining, carry great meaning and moral lessons that translate universally.

“I enjoyed all of it. I enjoyed the meaning behind it … the dancing and the rebirth and reincarnation, I thought that was fantastic,” she said.

A traditional belief in Chinese culture is that good will be met with reward, while evil will be punished through suffering in present or future lives.

Ms. Dyer, who reviewed the show for her magazine, called Shen Yun “captivating.” She said the alto singer who performed solo was so talented that her music “takes you out of your own body” to another world.

“Besides that, the beauty of it; she invited us to experience her own culture, a culture unfamiliar to us,” Ms. Dyer explained, “I find beauty in that. And I think that’s the great message.”

The women also appreciated obtaining a deeper understanding of modern China through Shen Yun. Some of the dances depict life under China's authoritarian regime, where freedom of expression and belief is violently suppressed. Ms. Dyer felt saddened and empathetic about the injustices she learned about.

“They are still unable to go back to their own country and speak,” she said.

She says although the stories are realistic and tragic at times, Shen Yun leaves audiences with an abundance of hope.

“My sister was saying to me, 'Man I feel kind of sad after all of this.' But at the same time … the way it went through, in the end, spring was coming. And that’s a sense of renewal.”

Reporting by Xinxin Teng and Justina Wheale.

Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company will next perform in Philadelphia, PA, at the Academy of Music on Feb. 22-23. For more information, please visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org