Shen Yun Performing Arts graced the stage of the Clowes Memorial Hall at Butler Arts Center in Indianapolis on Feb. 3 and 4, captivating audiences with classical Chinese dance and music.
Margaret Fette, the owner of Bernina Dealer & Fabric Store, said she was moved to tears seeing Shen Yun perform:
“The show was amazing. I will tell you, I cried at various points. We were so fortunate to get to come. I’m in a different place in my life that I could afford seats close to the front. And watching the very beginning of the show, it was so touching and so heartfelt. And I’m so grateful that I got to do this.”
“It’s amazing. Just the combination of culture and how they’re able to express their emotions throughout the show. I think it’s just … It’s beautiful. It really moves your heart, I almost cried,” said Saura Fortin Erazo, who is a physician.
“Incredible, the most awesome dancing and choreography I’ve ever seen. It’s life-changing, that’s all I can say. It’s truly life-changing,” said Joyce Eckelbarger, the executive director of Neal Home.
“As they’re dancing you can feel what they’re trying to say through their motions even though they’re not saying anything, they’re saying it with their motions,” said Mia Phillips, the executive director of Five Star Senior Living.
Shen Yun’s mission is to revive 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture. Theatergoers said they appreciated seeing Chinese culture from before communism, and took note of the deeper messages in the performance.
“It was a message of hope, it was really good. It was inspiring,” said Patrick Johnston, a superintendent at Bowen Engineering Corporation.
“I think that it’s really important for people to know what the situation is socially, culturally, spiritually, and politically. Because that’s how we also can find out about what’s going on from country to country, continent to continent, and people all across the world need to know what’s going on,” said Iris Rosa, emeritus professor and a former dance company director.
“The communistic theology ruins … the ability of a person to be themselves. And we’re so fortunate in the United States to have freedom,” said Jackie Garrett, the executive at the George E. Ellis Excavating Engineer Inc.
“Because I do believe the Chinese have so many lovely things about their culture. Sadly … since the Chinese have been taken over by communists, it’s not healthy. It’s not healthy for any of us,” said Fette.
Shen Yun Performing Arts has eight companies touring the world simultaneously and presents an all-new program every season.
“I’m so proud to be able to have seen this. I’ve wanted to see it for years and finally I got to come see it. Keep doing the work and spreading the culture of China, the beautiful culture of China,” said Ms. Eckelbarger.
“I highly recommend this show to anyone, and the director has done a very, very, very good job. The orchestra was just fantastic. You guys have done a great job, I’ll be back,” said Mark Stollings, who is the owner of Freeman Tire and Automotive.
“It was inspiring, it was technical, it was precision,” said Tony Artis, a musician and producer.
“It was great. The stories they told affected us emotionally, so it was a great cultural experience. That’s what I liked. We drove an hour and a half just to get here, just to see them. And we’d come back again,” said Stan Morse, the electrical manager for Heidelberg Materials.
Shen Yun will perform at the ArcBest Corporation Performing Arts Center in Fort Smith, Arkansas, on Feb. 6.
NTD News, Indianapolis, Indiana
