NEW YORK, New York — From April 3, to 14, Shen Yun, the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music performance, is conducting several sold out shows at New York’s iconic David H. Koch Theater at the Lincoln Center.
Demand to see the performance has been so high that Shen Yun added an additional show on April 9. In total, when this leg of its tour is over, the group will have conducted 14 performances over nearly two weeks at the Lincoln Center.
The group’s performances on April 13 and 14 are sold out, however there are limited tickets still available for performances on the 10, 11 and 12; but they are going fast.
Established in 2006 and based in New York, Shen Yun Performing Arts is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company. The company aims to revive 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture and values through immersive performances while showcasing what China was like prior to the ravages of communism.
Currently, Shen Yun operates eight companies that tour the globe and perform an all-new program every year featuring Chinese dance “in its purest form.”
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Dancers are accompanied by a live orchestra playing original music. It is the first orchestra in the world to combine classical Chinese and western instruments as permanent members.
The group tours 150 cities around the globe every year, from Tokyo to Paris, Sydney to New York.
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‘I loved it!’
On April 6, Vision Times had the opportunity to speak with audience members at the Lincoln Center following one of the shows.
Melody Rivera, who works with children during the day and at a veterans home at night said the show allowed her to learn more about her family heritage.
“My grandfather, he was Chinese. He married my grandmother who was Hispanic, Puerto Rican, but we never got to experience and learn about our culture because he passed away before I was born,” Riviera said, adding that, “So, we have always wanted to come here.”
“I loved it. I loved it! You felt it through the singing and the dancing. I loved it! I loved it! I will come again next year. I will come again,” she said.
Neron and Hyacinth Holder also attended one of the shows and told Vision Times that it was akin to a spiritual experience.
“After looking at it, seeing it, hearing the songs and the solos it became very spiritual to me,” Neron said.
“It’s really enlightening,” added Hyacinth. “The passion! I love the passion, the music, and the fate of those people. It really brings me back. I had goosebumps just watching it.”
Maria Garcia, said she comes to see the show every year because it’s “beautiful” but lamented how China has changed under the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
“It’s really beautiful….very interesting. But now, China is completely different. Nothing from the past is there,” she said.
“Everything is really beautiful. And the way they dance! That is really professional,” she said.
READ MORE:
- Communist China Ramps Up Efforts to Intimidate Shen Yun With Sabotage, Unhinged Threats of Violence
- Chinese-American Artists Targeted in Planned NYT Piece That Would Misrepresent Falun Gong, Shen Yun Performing Arts
- Shen Yun Artists Face Discrimination from Pro-CCP Official at US Customs Upon Return from European Tour
To entertain and educate
Shen Yun’s performances aim not only to entertain; they also educate audiences on important social and political issues taking place in China today. The performances aim to raise awareness on human rights’ issues to provide a unique perspective on the human spirit and the importance of not taking certain freedoms for granted.
One of the storylines the show touches upon is the ongoing persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China.
Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong, is a spiritual practice from ancient China that combines meditation exercises with a moral philosophy based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance (真善忍). Many of Shen Yun’s performers are children of Falun Gong practitioners, or practice the discipline themselves.
After becoming widely popular in China in the 1990s — with millions of people, including high-ranking government officials taking up the practice — the communist authorities launched a brutal persecution campaign to eradicate the practice in July 1999.
Shen Yun will perform at Lincoln Center through April 14. For tickets, availability, and other FAQs, visit the official website here.
