(Minghui.org) New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts presented six performances in two cities in Colorado during the last week of July 2021: Colorado Springs from July 27–29 and Greeley from July 31–August 1.
Prior to Shen Yun's performances in Colorado, the company received welcome remarks from elected officials including: (left to right, top to bottom) Michael Bennet, United States Senator; Alec Garnett, Speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives; Mary Young, State Representative; Leslie Herod, State Representative; John Suthers, Mayor of Colorado Springs; and Jacki Marsh, Mayor of Loveland.
Shen Yun Touring Company's curtain call at the Pikes Peak Center for the Performing Arts in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on July 29, 2021
Shen Yun Touring Company at the Union Colony Civic Center - Monfort Concert Hall in Greeley, Colorado, on the evening of July 31, 2021
“Transformative Experience for Body, Soul, Heart, and Mind”
Douglas Beechwood, owner of Terra Media, saw Shen Yun at the Pikes Peak Center for the Performing Arts in Colorado Springs on July 29, 2021.
Douglas Beechwood is a live event producer and director and the owner of Terra Media. He bought some of the last available tickets for his mother, brother, and son to see Shen Yun at the Pikes Peak Center for the Performing Arts in Colorado Springs on July 29, 2021.
“My whole family and myself were absolutely taken away by it. Four of us joined tonight... So, three generations. Absolutely wonderful to share this experience,” he said.
“I was just struck in so many ways, by the power of truth and art and dance and beauty... The compassion was opened in a way I didn’t think could happen in a public performance,” he said.
“I think this is the antidote and the way to communicate what needs to change in China. I’m not afraid to say that. We need to stand up for what’s right. I’m so grateful.”
Mr. Beechwood explained that he was a spiritual person, so he was moved by the spiritual aspects of the performances.
“Western minds really want to analyze and pick that apart but the soul message is so true... We are infinite spirits... We share this experience; soul mates meet again; this is ancient wisdom, this is Daoist wisdom. This is the wisdom of all the ancient lineages... Shen Yun has done such an incredible job of presenting that in the modern world,” he said.
“Shen Yun is a transformative experience for body, soul, heart, and mind. Even if you don’t think that is a possibility, you will be taken and changed and awakened,” he said.
“Magnificent, Highly Talented”
Paul Opler, entomology professor, and Evi Buckner-Opler, retired teacher and wood carving artist, saw Shen Yun in Greeley, Colorado, on July 31.
Paul Opler, an entomology professor at Colorado State University, saw Shen Yun in Greeley with his wife Evi Buckner-Opler, a retired teacher and wood carving artist.
“This was magnificent, highly talented, artistic, and lots of feelings,” Mr. Opler said. “It’s a feeling of compassion—compassion over evil.”
Mrs. Opler said the performance inspired her to “be a better person.”
“There’s a higher being and we have to connect and not forget that higher being no matter what we call him or her,” she said. “And we forget that today. And that higher being listens to all of us. The shows showed that, the beauty.”
“Grateful to Be Here”
Michael Gray, visual artist, attended the Shen Yun performance in Greeley, Colorado, on August 1, 2021.
“Beautiful things like this... Those traditional cultures were ways of expressing these really unique and beautiful ideas,” said Michael Gray, a visual artist.
He feels that dance and art forms are part of the “universal element that binds all of us together. They express the universal values of freedom and goodness.”
“No matter where you are in the world, and what your fundamental beliefs are, it’s just that ultimate goodness that brings all of us together,” Mr. Gray said.
Mr. Gray thanked the Shen Yun performers for their dedication and sacrifice in presenting such a world-class performance.
“They’re doing a wonderful job. I’m grateful to be here,” he said.
“Magical” and “Educational”
Gina Johnson, her family, and friends, Bryce Cox and Dot Diemer, enjoyed a Shen Yun performance at the Monfort Concert Hall in Greeley, Colorado, on August 1, 2021.
Gina Johnson, a symphony oboist, saw Shen Yun in Greeley, Colorado, with her family and friends.
“[The orchestra was] phenomenal... Extremely well balanced... It was a very even combination of eastern and western. Both sides of the world were represented well in the orchestra. Very professional all the way around, and magical,” she said.
“They were all excellent. [The erhu] was perfectly in tune all the time, which is not easy to do on string instruments. She played beautifully,” she added.
Ms. Johnson was also impressed by Shen Yun dancers' versatility. “I think for me it was getting to see that you can dance with anything... It was really... well done. I loved the balance, learning about the culture, the balance between fast and slow. [It] was really educational,” she said.
“Beautiful cultural experience... The stories are very well told... [One needs to] step into somebody else’s culture to understand the values that go along with that culture,” she said.
Dot Diemer, a speech and language pathologist, and Bryce Cox, a software engineer, were also in the audience with Ms. Johnson and her family. They purchased tickets last year before the pandemic forced the closure of most theaters in the U.S.
“It was absolutely worth [the wait],” said Ms. Diemer. “I think everybody should see it. It was beautiful.”
Mr. Cox also praised, “The costumes, the music, the dance, everything was outstanding... Just perfect.”
He particularly enjoyed the story and its sense of spirituality on “the divinity of human nature.” “[That] message was important to me,” he said.
Upcoming Performances
Shen Yun continues its 2021-2022 tour with upcoming performances in San Antonio, Texas, August 6–8; Salt Lake City, Utah, August 6–8; and Richardson, Texas, September 4–5.
For more information on tickets and dates, please visit http://shenyun.com.
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