.png)
Paul Diaz and his wife Stacy attend Shen Yun at the Detroit Opera House Thursday, Jan. 26. (Valerie Avore/The Epoch Times)
DETROIT—Audience members at the Detroit Opera House got a taste of traditional Chinese culture this Thursday as Shen Yun Performing Arts began its first of five performances in Detroit while on its world tour.
Paul Diaz, the president and owner of several automotive businesses, and his wife Stacy both expressed their appreciation for classical Chinese culture, in particular the arts. After watching Shen Yun, both said it was inspiring.
“There’s a lot of emotion,” said Mr. Diaz. “To see the colors and the movements just brings forth a lot of emotion. Tears, happiness, just feeling good,” he elaborated.
The New York-based performing arts company seeks to revive China’s rich traditional heritage and culture through performances in classical Chinese dance and music.
Mrs. Diaz said she enjoyed watching the colors, the pageantry, and the creative movements in the Shen Yun Performances.
“I’m a dance team leader, and so I appreciate a lot of cultural expression in movement and dance, choreography in dance, [and] symbolism. Bringing that all together in this environment is so impressive to us,” she said.
The spiritual elements embedded in China’s 5,000 year old history which Shen Yun seeks to revive spoke to both Mr. and Mrs. Diaz. The company also has pieces depicting religious freedom in today’s China.
“One of the interesting aspects is kind of tying in where the Chinese culture has come spiritually,” Mrs. Diaz said.
“The Chinese people that I know are very passionate,” Mr. Diaz added. He explained how the Cultural Revolution denied Chinese people the “opportunity to express [themselves] outside what the government has put upon them,” and he added that Shen Yun was an opportunity for expression.
Reporting by Valerie Avore and Diana Benedetti.
Shen Yun, based in New York, tours the world on a mission to revive traditional Chinese culture and stages performances of mainly classical Chinese dance. The International Company, one of Shen Yun’s three equally large companies, will perform in the Detroit Opera House, Detroit, through Jan. 29.
For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts.
