GREENSBORO, N.C.—“It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, by far,” said Eliza, an engraver and digital artist, after attending the Shen Yun Performing Arts performance at the War Memorial Auditorium in Greensboro on Friday night, Sept. 4.
“Oh, it’s beautiful. … I come from a theater background. We do lots of art stuff, and I know so many of the folktales like "Journey to the West" and Monkey King and it was just nice seeing it portrayed on stage with all the characters I’m familiar with.”
One of the pieces in the show, Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution allowed Eliza to learn about the painful reality of oppression for many millions of persons in China today, as witnessed by an innocent family whose father is persecuted for practicing Falun Dafa, a traditional spiritual discipline.
The message for Eliza in this piece was that “There is hope, and that the people who follow the Way, the people who are good, that there’s hope for them. Despite the oppression, they’ll get through it.”
She was also very touched by the tenors and the music, saying: “I loved to listen and they have such wonderful voices, and I feel very honored that I got to hear them—some of them whose names I knew from listening to other classical music.”
Paula, who came along with Eliza, works at a music center, which is very supportive of the arts. She agreed with Eliza, saying, “This was just such a beautiful show.”
Paula, who has a major in scenic design from the North Carolina School of the Arts, was most impressed with every facet of the show.
“Not only with the talent of the people on stage, but the costuming and the backgrounds–everything. Everything enhanced each other—all of the parts.”
One of the key elements of the Shen Yun performance is the technically innovative 3-D backdrops that accompany each act that lend a vibrant background to each performance, something Paula enjoyed.
“It’s very fascinating. It’s beautiful. It’s so striking. It really brings the background into the actual action of what’s going on. I’ve never seen anything like it,” Paula said.
Eliza felt that anybody who hadn’t seen the show was definitely missing out. “It’s a once in a lifetime experience.” She said that they would be back next year when Shen Yun returns with all new programs.
'It’s a great show'
Josa, an architect, was also at the auditorium on Friday night. He said Shen Yun was “really great.”
“The colors, the performance, the dancing. … It’s a great show. I recommend it to people—it’s really great, about culture and everything.”
Shen Yun takes its inspiration from 5,000 years of Chinese culture and has many dances depicting Chinese myths and legends.
The Udumbara’s Bloom was one piece that Josa enjoyed. The legendary Udumbara flower of Buddhist lore blossoms once every three thousand years. Its unfolding is said to herald the coming of a great sage or enlightened being.
Another piece he enjoyed was The Loyalty of Yue Fei, one of China’s best known generals who lived in the twelfth century during the Southern Song Dynasty. It is said that as a young man his mother tattooed four Chinese characters on his back in preparation for battle, which read “serve the country loyally.” Yue Fei left his native village to lead troops to numerous victories, earning acclaim for brilliant military strategies and feats.
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts’ next performance will be in Portland, Maine, on Sept. 19 and 20.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. For more information please visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
