LONG BEACH, Calif.\u2014Shen Yun\u2019s performance left a deep spiritual impression on audience members, including podcast host Dean Hayek, who described the show as both sacred and transformative.<\/p>\n
On the evening of Feb. 6, Mr. Hayek attended Shen Yun<\/a> Performing Arts\u2019 opening performance at the Terrace Theater of the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center with his family. Mr. Hayek hosts the podcast \u2018Earth to Eternity.\u2019 In addition to his podcast work, he is a businessman and a musician with many years of experience in theater performance.<\/p>\n After watching Shen Yun, Mr. Hayek praised the production for its reverence for the divine and for delivering what he described as a powerful spiritual message\u2014that true salvation comes from faith in God.<\/p>\n \u201cI absolutely loved it,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was so magical and heavenly at the same time, and it gave you a tremendous amount of peace in your heart and in your mind.\u201d<\/p>\n Based in New York, Shen Yun is the world\u2019s premier classical Chinese dance and music company. Its mission is to revive China\u2019s culture<\/a> as it existed before decades of communist rule nearly destroyed it.<\/p>\n Mr. Hayek was also deeply impressed by the precision and coordination on stage. \u201cThe show was incredible, and the performers\u2019 timing was impeccable,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Family member Destiny Zamorano, who attended the performance with Mr. Hayek, shared his enthusiasm.<\/p>\n \u201cI really enjoyed the show,\u201d Ms. Zamorano said. \u201cIt was very lively and full of energy\u2014very awakening. The performers were wonderful, and the dancing was truly excellent.\u201d<\/p>\n Ms. Zamorano, a banker, went on to highlight the production\u2019s visual beauty.<\/p>\n \u201cThe costumes and the colors were so beautiful,\u201d she said. \u201cThe dancers were so flexible\u2014props to them. They did extremely well. I think they were amazing, and I would recommend that they continue doing this.\u201d<\/p>\n Shen Yun\u2019s mission to revive China\u2019s 5,000 years of divinely inspired culture through dance resonated strongly with Mr. Hayek, particularly given his background in music.<\/p>\n \u201cI love the divine aspect of the show,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m also a musician\u2014I play piano and guitar\u2014so I was extremely impressed with all the music: the orchestra, the pianist, and the musician who played that Chinese instrument, it sounded Chinese\u2014like a voice singing.\u201d<\/p>\n Shen Yun features a live orchestra<\/a> that combines both Eastern and Western instruments. The two-stringed erhu<\/a>, the Chinese instrument that Mr. Hayek referred to, has a sound that leaves the audience entranced.As a first-time Shen Yun<\/a> viewer, Mr. Hayek felt that the depth of the stories<\/a> deserved more than one viewing.<\/p>\n \u201cTo be completely honest, I feel like this is a show I need to see again,\u201d he said. \u201cI understood some of the scenes and some of the events, \u2026 but I think it\u2019s worth seeing again so I can gain a deeper understanding of the culture and the storyline.\u201d<\/p>\n