DETROIT—Mrs. Delphine DeCook was in for a treat this Saturday afternoon, Jan. 28. Her daughter, Doreen, and son–in-law, Stephen Porter, knew she loved dance and surprised her with a special gift to celebrate both Christmas and her birthday—the opportunity to see the world renowned Chinese dance and music company, Shen Yun Performing Arts.
“The program was excellent. It was very, very good,” said Mrs. DeCook who attended the performance at the Detroit Opera House. “I’m just impressed by all the costumes and the dancing.”
At 84 years, Mrs. DeCook is the owner of Tempright Steel Treating, a company in Harrison Township, which she helped found with her husband and where she still works three days a week.
“I am enjoying this tremendously,” she said about the performance.
With a mission to revive the beauty and wonder of 5,000 years of Chinese history, Shen Yun was established in 2006 and now has three equally large companies touring the world. Based in New York, they are free to present many of the traditions that have been lost under China’s current communist regime.
Mrs. DeCook’s daughter, Doreen Porter, was struck by the authenticity of the culture presented in the performance.
“This is fascinating because it combines all of the history of China, the actual culture, the dance, everything that’s authentic,” she said.
Seeing Shen Yun reminded her of her own childhood travels when her parents took her to experience the authentic parts of the places she visited.
Her husband, Stephen, manager of a large machine shop in the Detroit area, was also fascinated by the Chinese culture he saw.
“I think it’s wonderful. It’s very inspiring and very educational,” he said.
Being unfamiliar with Chinese culture, he appreciated the opportunity to learn—through the descriptions of the dances in the program as well as the introductions by the emcees.
He was particularly impressed by the dancers’ athleticism.
“It’s just inspiring to see how well they can move and how well they can dance,” he said.
Reporting by Valerie Avore and Madalina Hubert.
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. The International Company will perform in the Detroit Opera House, Detroit, through Jan. 29.
For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.
