PALERMO, Italy—Italy is the home of some of the most famous operas. However, Shen Yun Performing Arts is not Italian opera. It is the revival of traditional Chinese culture.
“It’s a formidable show, a must see,” said Carmine Mancuso, a politician, on March 30.
Shen Yun is based in New York and its mission is to revive China’s 5,000 years of civilization.
“Bringing this 5,000-year culture [here] is a formidable mission. It makes you honestly understand the problems and the uncertainties of the [communist] regimes,” said Mr. Mancuso.
“It’s art that can rejuvenate people. The spirit of freedom can give space and room to human beings. People cannot be repressed and suppressed in a dictatorship,” expressed Mr. Mancuso.
Shen Yun’s artists are trained in
classical Chinese dance. This dance style requires that the dancer has a deep understanding of Chinese culture.
“The artists are exceptional, wonderful, of very high calibre—unmatched,” said Mr. Mancuso. He added that he would like to express his gratitude to Shen Yun’s artists.
Many audience members return and see
Shen Yun year after year.
Mr. Mancuso said that he could “watch it again, because you never get tired of seeing it. the scenes, the views, the skill of the artists, the costumes, everything is one. We are lucky that we could see and appreciate what Eastern art means.”
Although Shen Yun is sharing the beauty of Chinese culture, Shen Yun is unable to perform in China.
“My impression cannot but be positive. This is a wonderful show that I had the privilege to watch. It leaves you quite emotionally engaged and it makes you understand that China is under some restriction of liberty.”
He added that he has a wish that “the Chinese people will hope and overcome and be the vanguard against the restrictions of that anti-culture totalitarian regime.”
China was once a land of deep spiritual devotion.
Shen Yun is bringing this back along with all the values that once permeated China.
One of the dances depicted the Creator descending to the earth. Mr. Mancuso shared that he appreciated this scene “because it leads to spirituality. Because culture is also spirituality. Getting nearer to culture means believing in God. It means understanding the values of human essence and having a conscience and being able to have a dialogue with one’s own conscience and understanding that the soul is immortal.”
Reporting by NTD and Maria Han
