Professor: Shen Yun ‘Enlightening, Inspiring’

STAMFORD, Conn.—Shen Yun Performing Arts had three packed performances last weekend in Stamford, Connecticut.

Audiences from all different walks of life came to watch the show and said they were left in awe.

Don Werner, an eye surgeon, said he had an “absolutely wonderful evening” watching Shen Yun at the Palace Theatre on July 24.

“You don't see anything like that,” he said.

“I'm an athlete, I can appreciate the athleticism. And the tumbling and the precision of the dance is wonderful,” he added.

David Fidock, a professor of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases at Columbia University, said Shen Yun was “spectacular.”

"Enlightening, inspiring ... I was really impressed,” he said. “We'll come back now that we know every year is different.”

Bill Steinmeyer, a general contractor, said, “It was so touching, I shed a tear over it. It was just so fascinating.”

The performers' artistic abilities also left a deep impression on two young dancers in the audience.

“Personally, as a dancer, I've never seen anything more technical and complex,” dancer Zachary Young said.

“Throughout the whole show, I was getting chills every time like they were jumping in the air or doing really difficult spins. I was getting chills. It was amazing.”

A 14-year-old dancer Oksana Maciejewski said of the performance,“The technique of the dancers was amazing. Especially when they flipped, there was just that one moment when they were slow and suspended in the air. [It was] so cool.”

In 1949, the communist party seized power in China. It sought destruction of traditional culture to destroy peoples’ faith in the divine and to replace that faith with belief in the party.

New York-based Shen Yun has a mission to revive that ancient heritage and showcase China before communism.

"It's a shame that there's persecution over there," Steinmeyer said. "I think this sheds light for everyone and I'm so proud of Shen Yun for taking a stand and talking about this.

Real estate broker Elizabeth Tardif said Shen Yun was “incredible.”

“I think that's so important for everybody to be able to see what the Chinese culture is truly about ... It’s a beautiful show and as many people as possible need to see it,” she said.

“They’ve made an absolutely wonderful evening for us. And we hope that they’ll continue to make wonderful evenings all over the world,” Werner added.

Shen Yun will be performing in four states—Colorado, South Dakota, Texas, and Utah—throughout August.

NTD News, Stamford, Connecticut