Running from March 25 to April 12 at the David H. Koch Theater in the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Shen Yun Performing Arts presents its latest production under the banner “Experience China Before Communism.” The show offers a vivid journey through 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture, using classical dance, a live East–West orchestra, elaborate costumes, and animated backdrops to bring ancient legends, dynastic history, and spiritual themes to life in fast-paced, visually striking scenes.
The Tavarez family attended the Saturday, April 1, evening show and accepted an interview with Vision Times at the end of the performance.
Ciani Espada Tavarez, a New York City educator, called Shen Yun “a beautiful experience.”
“I learned a lot, I learned just a little bit about their spiritual beliefs and their meditation and the way they kind of interact with each other. So it was a beautiful show and I recommended for anyone to come and see,” Mrs. Tavarez said.
Elani Tavarez, a dancer, came to watch the show with her parents. “Watching that show for the first time was [like] a very good experience for me,” she told Vision Times. “I like all the technical movements that all the dancers had and I like the wild factors [jumping and tumbling] of the dances as well.”
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“The technique and everything was so precise, the patterns were so in sync, the timing, you didn’t see that one different look,” Elani continued. “Everybody was in sync with each other, and it was really nice. I had a lot of wild moments, right? We enjoy them.”
Mr. Tavarez, a retired construction worker, said that watching Shen Yun reminded him of his daughter. He said it was like “history being told” in the dancers’ movements.
“Not so much spoken in words, but how they can actually express the story that they’re trying to tell in their dance. It’s a special thing to be able to do that,” he said. “They spend a lot of time technically working so they can be in sync. And that’s beautiful in itself.”
Mr. Tavarez spoke about his feelings concerning the story of spiritual persecution: “They persevered whether it’s with spiritual belief or helping one another,” he said. “You see the good that’s in it. And that’s the best thing behind it, you know? It’s good behind even the bad that’s happening. Even the torment that they’re going through, there’s some good behind it. And I think we are, we all have that as humans. We all try to be good to one another.”
Mrs. Tavarez said that she likes the use of humor between the sad stories. “The humor was able to uplift what was really happening, and it also showed that with the culture, people got to work together in order to persevere in one. So it was a nice, beautiful story,” she said.
‘Fantastic, unbelievable, sensational’
Jerry Greenhaus and Donna Farrell described the April 1 performance as “absolutely wonderful.” “The colors, the motion, and the feeling it made you have was good.”
Mr. Greenhaus described the live music as “fantastic” and “unbelievable” and referred to the use of special effects in the performance as “sensational.”
“Between the dance and the screen—yes, you understood everything. It all came together with the original screen and the dance… the feeling, the emotion,” Donna said. “It was very emotional,” Jerry added.
Jerry said that he learned about the Chinese Communist Party’s persecution of faith in the news and that “it was nice to see it in the dance” and better understand what’s going on.
He added that he was aware of a recent New York Times article attacking Shen Yun but said, “I did not read it.”
Larry and Jean Guider attended the same performance and told Vision Times that they had read reviews of the show before and were excited to attend.
Larry said, “In recent years, maybe five years ago or something, there seems to be an anti-Shen Yun propaganda campaign or something… where they had clips and articles about people who had said the show was an embarrassment and everything. It didn’t seem right, and I’m just glad to be here today because it’s fantastic.” He added that Shen Yun was “the hope of the world.”
Jean said, “It’s beautiful. We saw it when advertised and we’ve been wanting to come and see it.”
An uplifting experience
Bill Schillinger, a retired NYC fire department lieutenant, said the show was “uplifting” and something that he doesn’t normally go to, “but I’m glad we went and I think that people who don’t normally go to shows like that [should] try it, because it’s fantastic.”
Ingrid Gartner, who attended the show with Mr. Schillinger, said she thought the show was “really enjoyable.”
“Very enjoyable, very colorful, very theatrical,” Ingrid said. “It’s nice to see the traditions come alive.”
Concerning the story of persecution presented in the performance, Ingrid said she was “glad they told us about that.”
She said she knew China was communist but wasn’t aware of a movement against it and that she was happy to see people keeping the religious and ethnic heritage alive. “They fought for it and left, and now can experience [a] true democracy,” she said.
Janet Srikishun said this was her third time attending a Shen Yun performance. “I’ve always been interested in it. It’s pre-communist China. I’ve always been interested in the Chinese culture,” she told Vision Times.
Casey Ownes, a fitness professional, described the show as “absolutely beautiful.”
“Frankly, being a fitness professional, I’m impressed by the stamina of all of the performers. But also, definitely, in the messaging in the stories,” she said.
“The costumes are absolutely beautiful. Yeah, I can’t take my eyes off of them. The colors are really something. The choreography; it’s like, there is always something to look at.”
‘I think it’s amazing’
Jerry Diaz said, “I think it’s amazing. I think it transports us back in time to an era where people used to live and how they used to [live] spiritually and mentally back then.”
He said he enjoyed it when a woman sang the song about how “today they are trying to corrupt us,” and how people should have the ability to “just live and enjoy life and focus on God.”
Also in attendance was 10-year-old Mia Perez, who said the performance was “really expressive” and that she liked the stories. “If you want to be respected you have to respect others,” she said, describing one lesson she got from the show.
Audiences from all over are coming to witness the artistry and storytelling of Shen Yun.
Shen Yun continues its performances at the David H. Koch Theater through April 12. Audiences can still experience this journey into China’s rich cultural history before communism.
