AUSTIN, Texas—Shen Yun Performing Arts brought out the divine in every aspect of Chinese culture for Mr. Ron Cantrell, who attended the performance in Austin with his wife, Mrs. Pamela Cantrell, at the Long Center for Performing Arts Thursday night, April 11.
The New York-based company performed classical Chinese dance, and ethnic and folk dances from the 50-plus sub-ethnicities of China, telling stories from every region and era of the country.
As the former director general of the International Rice Research Institute, Mr. Cantrell couldn’t help but be intrigued by A Joyful Harvest. The upbeat northeasten folk dance celebrates a bountiful harvest accompanied with steady drumbeats and the Chinese woodwind suona.
“I’m intrigued by the continual reference to the gods and how that permeated their life, their cycles, and the cultivation of rice, and everything,” Mr. Cantrell said.
Mr. Cantrell said he was intrigued with the depth of the culture beliefs, through the thousands of years.
“I think this is showing—a lot of the changes that occurred in the culture—the civilization of China over so many years. But most of us have not learned it,” Mr. Cantrell said.
He said he enjoyed the artistry of the performance but understood there was an underlying meaning as well.
“I think that there’s a lot deeper meaning that they’re trying to convey, in terms of the reference that they had. And how it permeated a lot in their daily lives,” Mr. Cantrell said. “I liked it. I enjoyed it.”
The couple had visited China and found it beautiful, but Mr. Cantrell said he understood that Shen Yun wasn’t a show he could have seen there.
On the surface, the Chinese Communist Party appears to be reviving traditional culture, but the core of the culture has been stripped, Shen Yun’s website explains. “For the Chinese Communist Party removes the cultural essence of respect for the divine, thereby extracting the heart and soul of traditional Chinese culture. Shen Yun seeks to revive these virtues the world over.”
“It’s one in transition,” Mr. Cantrell said of China, adding that he hoped attitudes in the country would change.
Reporting by Sarah Guo and Catherine Yang
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.
