GEELONG, Australia—Ms. Hann, a teacher and photographer, thought the Shen Yun Performing Arts show at Geelong’s Costa Hall was a terrific mix of entertainment.
Ms. Hann, whose mother is Chinese, explained that the show was captivating because it “was so gentle and soothing and really energetic at the same time.
“It was beautiful; it was just stunning. I loved the colours, and I just loved the philosophy behind what they believed ... and I loved the music and how it always told a story too. It was beautiful.”
Shen Yun’s trademark is to employ classical Chinese dance in the service of ancient legends—traditional stories told through dance.
Some of the stories depict the current situation in China, as did Ms. Hann’s favourite of the evening, “The one with the little girl and the mum and dad.”
Ms. Hann spoke of Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution, in which a young girl must say goodbye to her father, persecuted to death for his adherence to his practice of Falun Dafa. China’s communist regime currently persecutes practitioners of Falun Dafa.
Ms. Hann was touched by the story: “I’m just very connected with children and just seeing the bond that they had, even though it was dancing, you could tell they had emotion in it as well, which is rare in dance. It was beautiful. They just ... hit an emotional chord, and that’s why I liked the performance.”
Moving from sadness, Ms. Hann also mentioned a comic element in the performance she enjoyed: “The drumming and the silk rhythms, it was so stunning ... with the men with the little hand drums. It was one of my favorites because they made it really funny as well. They had funny facial expressions ... they made it really funny. I really enjoyed it.”
From soothing to energetic, sad to funny, she summed up the show, “It was a good mix—every performance was totally different from the next.”
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of the Shen Yun Performing Arts 2009 World Tour. For more information please visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
