AARHUS, Denmark—The New-York based Shen Yun Performing Arts gave its second and final performance at Aarhus’s Musikhuset. The audience honored the performers with a standing ovation before the final curtain fell and warm applause throughout the show.
Mr. Marc Perera Christensen of the Conservative Party, running for Mayor of Aarhus, was among those in the audience. Mr. Christensen was moved deeply by stories about ancient Chinese heroism, retold through folklore throughout the past centuries, and the scenes that displayed courage by people oppressed in China today.
The artists’ performance was accompanied by an orchestra that played music with Western and Chinese instruments.
“It’s not too foreign to Western ears, but it still retains the right feeling for Chinese history and the Chinese way of composing. It makes for a very nice balance and a very good way to communicate Chinese history to a Western audience,” Mr. Christensen said during the intermission.
The artists’ costumes displayed a kaleidoscope of colors, the strength of the dancers, and a clarity of the message.
“Amazing. It’s quite fascinating, the strength and skills of the artists,” Mr. Christensen said admiringly.
He was especially impressed with the scene Flowing Sleeves, but also felt drawn to the bravery displayed by the artist’s rendition of the plight of Falun Gong practitioners in China.
“And of course Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution. It was one of the main reasons I put a greeting in the show’s program,” said Mr. Christensen.
He was well-versed in the ongoing persecution of Falun Gong in China and said that despite the 2008 Olympics and the transition to a market economy, minorities were persecuted cruelly in China, “and this subject should not be taken lightly by Westerners. They should take it very seriously indeed.”
He is involved in human rights issues and has made inquiries regarding the conditions in Aarhus’s Chinese “sister city” Harbin especially, with regarding the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.
“We have been contacted by individuals who say that there is a widespread persecution of Falun Gong practitioners happening in Harbin and even large-scale organ theft,” he said sadly.
This situation has prompted Mr. Christensen to ask many questions of the foreign minister and the present mayor of Aarhus. He recently suggested a policy to educate all visitors to or from Harbin about civil rights, the persecution of minorities, the conditions of students, and the situation in general in Harbin.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of the Shen Yun Performing Arts 2009 World Tour. For more information please visit shenyunperformingarts.org
Friends Read Free