OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla.—Retired teacher and musician JoDee Shoffner was blown away by the beauty of Shen Yun Performing Arts on Jan. 8, during a matinee performance at the OCCC Visual and Performing Arts Center Theater. Attending Shen Yun for the first time, she’s already planning a return visit.
“It was very inspiring. I loved it,” Ms. Shoffner said. “The beauty is out of this world.
“What I loved about it, too, was the culture of the Chinese. [There were] so many various [sub-]cultures: the Mongolian, the cold country, the warmer country, the different dynasties. It was wonderful, the diversity.”
Seated right next to the orchestra, Ms. Shoffner paid special attention to the musicians. Their dedication made her feel as though she “was in the orchestra again.”
“It was a wonderful feeling,” she said. “I want to say [Shen Yun’s] music was full of heart and soul, and you could tell they loved their music.”Based in New York, Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company dedicated to reviving China’s rich culture, nearly lost under decades of communist rule.
The production consisted of a series of short pieces that takes its audience on a journey through the dynasties and across the vast regions of China. Using classical Chinese, folk, and ethnic dances, as well as solo musical performances, the artists tell tales from ancient times to the modern day.
One of the most memorable aspects for Ms. Shoffner was Shen Yun’s portrayal of the divine. As a Christian, she was deeply moved by the parallels she saw between her faith and traditional Chinese culture.
“It had so many parallels—especially the compassion, the kindness, the love, and that we come from a heavenly country, and we have characters to form here, so that we can go to the heavenly country,” Ms. Shoffner shared.
“I thought that was so beautiful. I didn’t know that that was part of the Chinese culture.”
Traditional China was once deeply spiritual, with people believing that the divine blesses those who uphold moral values. However, after the communist takeover in 1949, the spread of atheism rapidly erased these beliefs, along with the traditional values rooted in Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism.
Ms. Shoffner also appreciated that Shen Yun not only revives traditional culture but raises awareness about ongoing human rights issues in China today.
“The people that I saw in this performance—even though they [are persecuted by] communism, they were showing that they are not upset with them. They want to win them [and] soften them with kindness,” she said.
Shen Yun “would like to heal the nation: I saw that. I would like to come again. This is my first time, but I don’t think it’ll be my last.”
Reporting by NTD and Jennifer Tseng.
NTD is a media sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts, covering audience reactions since 2006.
