LOS ANGELES---On the Sunday afternoon of April 24 at the Microsoft Theater, Mayor Albert Robles came to attend Shen Yun’s performance with a purpose--presenting a Certificate of Recognition issued by City Council of the City of Carson to Shen Yun Performing Arts.
Mayor Robles was appointed as Mayor of the City of Carson in April 2015. Before that, he was elected to the Carson City Council on March 5, 2013 by almost 50 percent of the voters---an unparalleled achievement for someone running for Carson City Council for the very first time.
After watching the performance, hope was what it resonated with Mayor Robles. He said, “It’s very inspirational. It transforms one through what you’re watching. And it’s really, really impressive. It leaves a lasting impression that many people will take away hope, and wanting to believe in something better. ”
New York-based Shen Yun was formed in 2006 with a mission to restore China’s 5,000 years of divinely inspired culture and beliefs that has nearly been destroyed by the communist regime, and share it with the world through story-based dance and music.
Mayor Robles was inspired by Shen Yun’s final vignette entitled “Hope for the Future,” which is set in modern times, depicting practitioners of Falun Dafa, a spiritual meditation practice that espouses truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance. They are persecuted by the communist regime.
“Just when it seems like all hope is lost, a holy scene appears and a new era begins,” according to the program.
“It’s very, very impressive. I like the hope and the inspiration that impresses upon one to think that there are better things to come, [that] this isn’t just the end here, and other things are expected [to be] much much better for all of us,” Mayor Robles said.
Similar to other audience members, he was fascinated by 20 vignettes, depicting the legend of the Yellow Emperor descending from heaven to reign, heroic tales in ancient times and in modern times, too.
Mayor Robles said, “The stories and the lyrics [were] really, really impressive. I particularly liked the performance having to do with the persecution, and people still continuing to believe what they want to believe, and what they feel inside, [which is] contrary to the pressure of the outside world. To believe what you believe inside. That’s the message that I take from it.”
Shen Yun also features soloists who use the bel canto technique to sing in Chinese. The English-translated lyrics that are projected onto a massive, digital backdrop are all original works brimming with philosophical reflection about human life.
Watching the story-based dance vignettes, Mayor Robles was in awe of the beauty, the precision and synchronization of Shen Yun’s dancers with the digital backdrop.
“It’s incredible. My daughter does a little bit of dance, so I know how difficult it can be to coordinate and synchronize a large group. So that’s really, really impressive,” Mayor said. “I never knew there was such a special, unique perspective of Chinese dance, so that’s really great to see. It’s opened my eyes. I’m sure it will open up the eyes of many many people.”
“I loved it. It was very very entertaining, and very different. It was really nice to see,” he said. He loved Chinese dance so much that he said he wanted his daughter to learn it.
Reporting by NTD Television and Thanh Le
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.
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.
