SANTIAGO, Chile—Jaime Naranjo, Senator of the Socialist Party of Chile, was glad he braved a cold evening to see an aspect of China he can truly admire.
Mr. Naranjo was impressed with the depiction of ancient Chinese culture portrayed in classical dance and music by the New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts which played at Santiago's Teletón Theater on July 12.
“Extraordinary! I think it is important that a show of this nature reaches countries such as Chile, because it allows us to know the traditions of the Chinese people expressed in a diverse way,” Mr. Naranjo said.
“I believe this has been a very peculiar and special moment that we have had to experience this, that it is important to learn of the different countries and particularly in the case of China, that it is a millenarian culture.”
At the heart of Shen Yun is China's divinely inspired culture brought to life in story-based dance of ancient heroic legends, modern day tales of great courage, and folkloric traditions.
“One is always surprised by things one ignores, or does not know [about], and therefore the reason why we have attended is to go well back in the time, to discover always these interesting things, the teachings of Chinese culture,” said Mr. Naranjo.
Mr. Naranjo believes that Shen Yun's presentation was “especially important” not only for renewing China's historical traditions, but in showing how history can be connected with what it is happening in China today.
“People notice the extremely difficult and hard situation that a lot of people are going through in China, since the freedom of speech of a democratic system like we have does not exist in China,” he said.
This is reflected in the piece, Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution. A father is persecuted to death for practicing Falun Gong, an ancient spiritual belief banned in China ten years ago by the Chinese communist regime. Since then tens of thousands of families have been killed, maimed and destroyed, but despite the suffering there is a message of hope that bespeaks of a longstanding Chinese belief that good people are rewarded, even if not in this lifetime.
“I believe where one has faith and conviction in the values of democracy and freedom—although nowadays it is suffocated, is persecuted, is repressed—one always has hope.”
Mr. Naranjo enjoyed the vocalists, soloists, and choreography, as well as the expressiveness not only of the dancers' movements but also of their faces.
“Fantastic ... one has to look not only in the dances, or the music, but also in the faces of the artist that give life to this show.”
He said Shen Yun was “excellent” and encouraged others to come and see it for themselves.
“It's a show that must be seen because it shows another reality of China, shows another cultural expression of China...the expressions, the stage scene and the interpretations as a whole are completely different.”
NTDTV contributed to this article.
Shen Yun Performing Arts has three upcoming shows in Cordoba, Argentina, from July 16 to 18. After which, they will perform in Westchester, New York for one night only, on August 2.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. For more information please visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
