HONOLULU—Watching Shen Yun Performing Arts left a deep impression on psychologist Evelyne Raposo.
“I absolutely am in love with the beauty, the grace, the history, and the energy of the dancers,” she said.
She attended a Shen Yun performance on May 5, the final performance at the Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall this year.
Since 2006, New York-based Shen Yun’s three troupes have been touring the world to share genuine traditional Chinese culture. Every performance features all-original music and dances, with an emphasis on classical Chinese dance.
With short vignettes, Shen Yun gives the audience impressions of China’s grand dynasties, its diverse ethnic groups, and episodes from classical Chinese novels and ancient myths.
“It feels like you go back into time,” Ms. Raposo said.
Shen Yun also showcases stories from today’s China. Ms. Raposo was most impressed by the piece An Unexpected Encounter.
It tells the story of a daughter and father visiting China and getting caught up in the persecution of the spiritual practice of Falun Gong. When they meet practitioners who are beaten by the police, their life takes a sudden turn.
Ms. Raposo appreciated the theme of struggle for religious freedom. “They were willing to do it whatever it took to defend their right, and that’s beautiful,” she said.
With its showing in Hawaii, Shen Yun is winding down its 2013 season, during which it performed at top venues, including New York’s Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., and the London Coliseum.
To her friends, Ms. Raposo would say, “Just come. It’s mesmerizing.”
Reporting by Flora Ge and Christian Watjen
Shen Yun Performing Arts, based in New York, tours the world on a mission to revive traditional Chinese culture. 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.
