RALEIGH, N.C.—Joseph Rosinsky has seen every Shen Yun Performing Arts presentation for the past three years, and this year was just as beautiful, the retired computer professional said.
“Wonderful. I enjoyed it—every bit. We come every year. We were here last year and the year before, too,“ he said. ”Because it is so beautiful, creative.”
The New York-based Shen Yun opened with an all-new program at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts on Jan 10.
Mr. Rosinsky said his wife, Rose, loved the performance as well. “She enjoys it every bit as much as I do, perhaps more,” he said.
“Wow! Shen Yun,” the retired educationalist said. “The colors, the costumes—everything is so beautiful and so graceful.”
Shen Yun’s productions draw their inspiration from China’s 5,000 years of civilization. Values such as compassion and loyalty, kindness and bravery, lie at the heart of traditional Chinese culture, the program reads.
Dancers holding long silken fans who glide across the stage, like celestial fairies in flight, took Mr. Rodinsky’s heart away in the dance, Lotus Fairies.
“That was particularly lovely. But all of the colors are just so vibrant and just so beautiful; they simply are. I would recommend it to anyone.”
This dreamlike piece extols the virtues of the lotus blossoms that rises above all flowers to emerge high amidst the clouds.
Mr. Rosinsky also sensed the spiritual essence radiating from the stage.
“And, I understand, it is speaking out on behalf of a [belief] that is not welcomed in China. But it is spiritual and not in a pushy way or offensive way—in a very insightful way. I enjoyed that part too.”
In this dance, The Steadfast Lotus, on a street in today’s China, people are practicing Falun Dafa, the spiritual meditation discipline, the program book explains. Also known as Falun Gong, its practitioners have been persecuted in China for over a decade.
Among them, a mother gives her daughter a beautiful banner decorated with a lotus flower and three words that form the tenets of their faith: “Truth, Compassion, Tolerance.” The moment is shattered when police arrive to take the mother away, mirroring countless present-day stories of Chinese families torn apart by the communist regime.
Such essence was not lost upon Mrs. Rosinsky. “I would have to agree,“ she said. ”It is very spiritual.”
Integral to Shen Yup are digital backdrop designs that complement and synchronize all aspects of the performance, including the lyrics that appeared as subtitles on a large projector screen, which Mr. Rodinski especially appreciated.
“Yes. During the singing, to have the words up helped a great deal to understand the poetry of it,” he said.
Reported by Gao Fei and Raiatea Tahana-Reese
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit Shen Yun Performing Arts.
The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time. We have proudly covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
