We went to see Shen Yun at the Wang Theater in Boston last night. The tickets were a gift from our son and his wife. It was a cold night and I had a cold, but we enjoyed the show. It was colorful to say the least. The performers danced in brightly colored costumes in front of a color coordinated backdrop of spectacular scenery. The dancers even had the ability to appear to walk into the backdrop and become animated action figures flying and leaping in the clouds and over mountains.
It struck me that no individual performer stood out from the rest. They were either all male or all female and almost exactly the same age and build. I found myself trying to fix on one person and follow them through the routine but it was easy to lose them. They did a series of highly disciplined and highly coordinated dance routines each illustrating some story from Chinese culture. Two of these vignettes illustrated the plight of Fa Lun Gong in China and told of the promise of salvation through this Buddhist offshoot religion. In fact the entire show seemed to be primarily about promoting the religion.
The public relations people were as coordinated and disciplined as the dancers. They had pictures taken of attendees smiling in front of a Shen Yun backdrop choosing people from the crowd as they entered the theater. On the way out we were asked to make a few comments on a video camera interview. We said nice things about the show, which were true.
I think I have to judge Fa Lun Gong from several perspectives, one being their opposition to the current Chinese government. Apparently they are listed as a major terrorist organization and their performances are hounded by Chinese agents around the world. Many members have been killed or imprisoned. As a Christian, I see the religion as completely false and even dangerous. And as an amateur historian, I am reminded that the biggest, most violent war in Chinese history, the Hong Qiu rebellion was started by a man who started a religion based on what he had learned from an American missionary. The Boxer rebellion also was started by a quasi-religious group. In conclusion, I admire them for standing up to the government, I reject their religion, and I think that the government of China has reason to fear them as more than just a religious group.