Traveling Three Hours to Attend Shen Yun

PHILADELPHIA—After missing an invitation from a friend to attend Shen Yun Performing Arts in Washington for her birthday, Mrs. Shelly Livingston, a former international relations committee staffer, and her husband, retired from the US Navy, traveled to Philadelphia to see the show.

The New York-based Shen Yun performed at The Academy of Music, a beautiful, old grand opera house located on Broad Street, also known as the Avenue of the Arts. Shen Yun specializes in Chinese classical dance and musical performance art.

“It was as great [as my friend] said it would be. And I am just amazed at the extensions, the dancers, absolutely phenomenal. The costumes,” said Mrs. Livingston.

Mrs. Livingston worked on Capital Hill for 28 years before retiring, and had a leadership role with the Woman's National Democratic Club.

We’ve been all over the world, said Mr. Livingston, “we have never seen any show quite like this.”

“It was unlike any other show I’ve ever seen. It’s magnificent. Costumes, the dancers choreography,” said Mr. Livingston.

“Everything was so well choreographed,” he said.

Shen Yun’s dancers and choreographers hail from all over the world, but share a vision of renewing their country’s rich 5,000 year-old culture after its destruction by the communist regime. While a number of them trained in China, the majority are ethnic Chinese who grew up in the West.

Mrs. Livingston said that she was carried away by the beauty of the performance. She also said the night was like a journey to China.

“From Mongolian, to the Great Wall, to the Himalayan mountains.” She said Shen Yun covers it all. “A journey to a beautiful country.”

“It’s uplifting. Every little vignette had a moral to it,” added Mrs. Livingston.

Mrs. Livingston asked whether there were more performances on coming up on the East coast.

“I will certain recommend everyone go to see it!” she said.

Shen Yun is a non-profit, established in 2006, and based in New York. This year’s 2011 World Tour is the biggest ever, with three equally-large companies, each comprised of over 40 dancers, as well as a live orchestra, touring the world simultaneously.

Reporting by Pamela Tsai and Andrea Hayley.

New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org