NEW ORLEANS—It was his wife who made it happen, and things kept growing from there, said Mr. Ujjal Dasgupta with a chuckle. “We saw the advertisement on the TV, saw the dancing and most importantly my wife wanted to see it. So I called one of my friends, ‘Do you want to go?’, told my sister, daughter to buy the tickets and we are here.” Mr. Dasgupta brought his group of friends and relatives to see Shen Yun at Saenger Theatre on Feb. 19.
Speaking at intermission, he said, “Of course, the theme I understand. The meaning of every word is wonderful.” According to the program, “Values such as compassion and loyalty, kindness and bravery lie at the heart of traditional Chinese culture.”
Mr. Dasgupta is president of ECM Consultants, Inc., a civil engineering firm. He said he is originally from India.
Both China and India are among the most enduring continuous civilizations in the world. “There is a debate whether the Indian civilization is older than the Chinese civilization,” said Mr. Dasgupta.
Like the Shen Yun performance, Mr. Dasgupta displayed both humor and deeper ideas. He joked that the most remarkable thing about it was that each female dancer was exactly the same size.
Yet he also appreciated the stories of contemporary Chinese history. “There is a spiritual theme there, when they talked about meditation and they try to limit that,” he said, meaning the Communist regime trying to repress Falun Dafa.
Two of the dances, The Steadfast Lotus and Buddha’s Compassion Shines Forth, refer to the Chinese Communist Party’s persecution of Falun Dafa, a peaceful meditation practice. “That was oppression,” said Mr. Dasgupta.
To him, repressing spirituality is utterly wrong. “That was spiritual oppression. That is one of the worst things in human rights.”
Both the dances show people remaining true to their faith, so that “kindhearted people’s goodness is rewarded,” according to the program book.
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
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.
