Shen Yun Review: Richard Joel, former president, Yeshiva University

“What we see on stage is beautiful, it’s colorful, it’s loving, it’s disciplined, it’s meditative. And those are all wonderful values... It’s a wonderful performance. It’s wonderful, relating to kind of all different sensory reactions. Of course, the music is wonderful, and the orchestra is wonderful. The singing and the production values are great. But I think mostly what’s wonderful is the values that are expressed that for many of us are universal values—those notions of discipline, and a belief in creators and in trying to return to important values… The values here clearly are about human dignity and about not being drawn down into the worst parts of society, but trying to elevate society. And that’s visible in wonderful ways here... I think this is a time where traditional culture is under assault throughout the world. And I think there’s a need to reassert that culture. People have to be free to do what they want to do. But there should be a strong cultural heritage and a strong sense of values, because I think that’s really what the earth is looking for.”