ATLANTA—All three members of the de Velasco family were able to connect to cultural roots on Dec. 26, watching Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Atlanta Symphony Hall.
Eduardo de Velasco, retired law enforcement director and wine consultant, his wife Barbara Palomino de Velasco, forensic psychologist and program coordinator at Walden University, and their daughter Meihui, who was adopted from China at 18 months old, had been waiting to see the performance for a while and finally made it. Now, it may become a family tradition.
“We’re going to be seeing it every year. We traveled almost two hours to come and see it,” said Mr. de Velasco. “I’m asking her if she wants to go and see it in Athens again, in March ... I’m loving it that much.”
The de Velascos frequent the theater, but still found the visuals to be unlike anything else. “I’ve never experienced anything like this,” Mr. de Velasco said.
“It’s an amazing experience to be able to watch it because I wouldn’t have been aware of this before,” Ms. de Velasco said.
Ms. de Velasco grew up attending cultural summer camps, Mandarin classes, and the local Chinese cultural center as the de Velascos have tried to help her connect with her heritage—in ways that weren’t just trips to China.
“Adopting my daughter is the best thing I ever did,” Mr. de Velasco said, but “I did not want to go to China.”
Namely, he said, China is still a communist country, and Mr. de Velasco could not agree with the regime.
“I was not in agreement with the government. But when I was there, the beauty of the Chinese people—we have traveled the world—we have never been so well treated. And when they would see us with her as we’re walking around in a stroller, just the warmth of the Chinese people made me want to learn Chinese culture because now we are part of China,” he said.
The de Velascos understand what communism in practice means because the couple has Cuban roots.
“I come from Cuba, I know what communism is. Everything was taken away from us in Cuba, so that last scene was meaningful because I want her to experience the repression of a totalitarian communist government and how they try to brainwash the people and they don’t have that freedom of expression that they are showing here. So I am very happy with that last piece of the reality of what’s going on in China because a lot of people in the United States do not understand communism,” said Mr. de Velasco, referencing a story-based dance set in modern-day China.
Mr. de Velasco left Cuba to come to the United States when he was 6 years old, and Mrs. Palomino de Velasco left when she was just a baby.
“We had to leave our country and I’ve never been able to see it, so I have a connection with [Meihui] that she at least will be able to one day go back. And we went to China and it was glorious, but I have not ever seen my country with regards to communism. So I understand the oppression and the sadness of losing part of your culture,” Mrs. de Velasco said.
It was a moving experience for Mrs. de Velasco in many ways.
“It is just absolutely amazing and just absolutely outstanding. I just love the beauty of it, particularly showing it to my daughter who is Chinese, show her beautiful, beautiful, incredible culture, which she never forgets the beauty, elegance, and glory of it,” she said.
“It’s beautiful. I think what they’re asking for is compassion and kindness and caring for our world that’s very troubled for all that we have right now, particularly post-pandemic,” said Mrs. de Velasco, who is head of a first responders organization. “Love one another and be more respectful and kind to each other, because just today is a gift.”
Mr. de Velasco similarly felt there was a theme and message of compassion in the performance “To me, [it] was the only salvation that we have for the world, is going back to the basics and believing that there is a Creator, there is a natural order, and the more we honor it, the more we will feel ourselves. Living outside of it is where the sicknesses, everything comes up.”
Mrs. de Velasco said it was a universal value.
‘This Is Something That Has to Be Shown to Everybody’
Linda Rusch, retired healthcare executive, brought her 6-year-old half-Chinese granddaughter to see the performance and said the young girl has just been in awe the entire time.“She’s so impressed,” Ms. Rusch said. “I would definitely recommend it to anyone, and it’s just absolutely fascinating.”
“It is so moving. And the entire time I’ve been having a lot of chills because between the music and the dance, it is so magnificently beautiful that it just actually almost brings you to tears,” said Ms. Rusch.
Ms. Rusch was appreciative of Shen Yun’s authentic depiction of China, including the fact that under the current communist regime there is no freedom of religion, “because it’s happening right now in China,” she said.
Ms. Rusch said she is a meditator herself, and was interested to learn that the Shen Yun dancers meditate as well. “So I really can appreciate the discipline of the dancers, because they’re such perfection, they don’t do anything that’s out of the ordinary. You can watch them and you can see the total perfection of the dancers.”
“This is something that has to be shown to everybody so they’re better educated about it,” she said.
