Shen Yun Brings People Joy and ‘Newness of Life’ After Pandemic, TV Producer

In Cheyenne, Wyoming, Shen Yun Performing Arts drew audience members from other cities. Many drove an hour and a half from the Denver, Colorado, area on icy roads after a winter storm to see it, and they said the trip was worth it. “You cannot make up a presence, you cannot make up an atmosphere, you cannot pretend to have heart behind something unless there really is heart behind it,” said Charlene Baktamarian, producer and host for Gods View TV Shows. “From the moment that the curtain went up, there was just a capture of the hearts of the people and the audience. Because there was such a presence on it, that just permeated the room. And people were silent,” she said. “I know many times I want to stand up, go, 'Yay, woohoo!'” “I think I said 'wow' about a dozen times. The acrobatics, the flexibility, and the strength,” said Lorrell Walter, a marketing executive at Western Vista Credit Union. Her high school daughter, Loriana Walter, is a ballet dancer with the San Diego Ballet and performed the Nutcracker this year. She said she can’t imagine how many hours Shen Yun performers train. “The costuming really stuck out to me,” she said. “With the lighting and all the different colors with the costumes, it brightened up the stage a lot and it was a really pretty view.”