BERLIN, Germany—Kammersangerin Ms. Karan Armstrong and her 97-year old mother Pearl Armstrong, a former violinist, were in the audience of the Shen Yun Performing Arts opening show at the International Congress Centre (ICC) in Berlin, on Friday, March 16, 2012.
Kammersangerin is a German honorary title for a distinguished female chamber singer which, in the past, was bestowed on an exceptional singer by kings or their representatives, and today by State representatives.
Ms. Armstrong was awarded the German Federal Cross of Merit and was granted the title of Kammersangerin by the German state representatives Baden Wuerttemberg and Berlin.
Both ladies enjoyed Shen Yun particularly as it was bringing Chinese traditional culture to Berlin.
“The show was just absolutely magnificent. The dancers were superb ... How well they are trained... It´s very beautiful; aesthetic, well thought out dances, and I think it is extremely fascinating,” said Ms. Armstrong.
As a singer, Ms. Armstrong had deep appreciation for the skill of the musicians. “The orchestra is wonderful, very colorful... The combination with the Chinese instruments was really brilliant. Beautiful. Good balance.”
Shen Yun Performing Arts, is a New York based company dedicated to reviving China’s five thousand year culture. Many of the principal artists are mainland Chinese who left the communist state to be able to explore their traditional culture and express it freely. Ancient myths and ethnic tales are performed alongside contemporary scenes of challenges for Chinese people today.
Ms. Armstrong is American and received her musical training in the United States. She said she felt deeply for the young dancers who had never seen the land of their forefathers.
“I think it is a shame that one can´t be proud of one´s own countrymen. These young dancers from China can´t go home and their country can´t give them a nice pat on their back and say you´re doing your country proud. We can only hope that this will happen in the future.”
She was particularly moved by the scenes that depict the plight of Falun Gong practitioners in China, people that live by the principle Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance and who are persecuted for their beliefs.
“The scene with the young children that wanted to say what they believed, and then they get brutally attacked—that really touched me.”
Ms. Armstrong had traveled to Hong Kong and said she had many Chinese friends but was concerned about the constraints on Chinese people.
“I hope that this wall will be broken down one day so these kids can go back home and that their country can really say thank you for giving such a positive feel to the world for us.”
The conversation moved on to the state-of-the art backdrop that included scenes of Chinese landscapes. Ms Armstrong was impressed: “I loved it, it was really fabulously done!”
She ended the conversation by saying, “I was amazed by the dancing and the beauty of the show. Not only the charm, but it´s so pure, and it´s so healing, because it´s so peaceful. It brings you a calmness within your soul ... It’s really so beautifully done. They are very very well trained..”
Reporting by NTD, Sonja Ozimek and Bernd Schneeweiss
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. Shen Yun Performing Arts International Company will next perform in Zurich, Switzerland from March 23-25.
For more information, please visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.
Read the original German article.
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