SYDNEY, Australia—The final curtain fell in Sydney at a packed Parade Theatre in Kensington on Sunday, April 26. Sydney's appreciative audience waved goodbye to New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts with three curtain calls, as if they wanted to say "Stay one more day, or come back soon, as there are still so many that did not have a chance to see this wonderful show."
In response to the audience's heartfelt and thunderous applause, tenor Guan Guimin and contralto Jiansheng Yang performed encores, displaying a demeanor that said we love to be here and we enjoyed performing for you.
Mr. Jostone, a chartered accountant, had been looking forward to a show that promised stories from China's 5,000-year history from the past to the present through dance and song.
"It’s colourful and exciting … I’ve enjoyed it a lot. ... It's showing an awful lot of culture," he said enthusiastically.
The state-of-the-art digital 3-D backdrop that accompanies each act lends a vibrant background to each performance and is a key element to the Shen Yun show, something Mr. Jostone enjoyed.
"The screen technology … It’s quite remarkable," he said.
Chinese folklore that has been handed down for centuries was not new to Mr. Jostone.
"I know a little bit of Chinese history … the Monkey King and the hair that he splits and creates 12 others and has two other likenesses to himself, so I know a bit of the history. … It was a great performance [The Monkey King Triumphs]," he said.
The message that he got from the show was "that good will prevail," adding that he thought "that’s a good message."
Mr. Jostone thought the show was "very educational. It's probably very provocative to the Chinese government, but it’s very educational, yes."
In a modern-day portrayal of Chinese culture, a dance depicts the persecution of a father in China for practising Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline [Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution]. The scenes that ultimately unfold in this program present a message of hope and tell of a longstanding Chinese belief that good people are ultimately rewarded, even if not in this lifetime.
"I felt very sad for the child and family who encountered terrible times, such oppression. The message is that there’s good coming out of it at the other end, which is good," he said.
'Ancient history was enacted by the dancers' movements'
Mr. Shelotopulous, owner of a boarding house, used to own a Greek theatre company with his godmother.
This audience member was impressed with the dancers' artistic expression and their technique.
He said, "The dancers' movements have very great meaning ... I think this belongs to ancient history—ancient history was enacted by the dancers' movements ... dancing, music, the life of the people in China."
Mr. Shelotopulous wished that many more people could see the show. "I think people have to come more. ... It's the first time I saw this in 44 years, this kind of performance. We have two hundred nations and China is one quarter of the earth—people must see [the show]."
He enjoyed the dancers saying, "The dancing represents the happiness of the people. I love to see people happy."
The program Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution is one that impressed him. "Have to support this idea. ... No need to talk much."
Mr. Shelotopulous concluded by congratulating Shen Yun and saying, "Excellent. I saw many companies come from overseas. This is number one."
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of the Shen Yun Performing Arts 2009 World Tour. For more information please visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
