TAINAN, Taiwan—Mr. Schunn, German guitarist and songwriter, watched the Divine Performing Arts (DPA) 2009 World Tour performance on Feb. 22 at the Tainan Municipal Cultural Center in Tainan, Taiwan, where he has resided since 1990.
Although he studied painting at the Waldorf School of Arts, he turned out to be a musician. Mr. Schunn is a member of the Seattle-based band Jetlegrs formed by Dennis Rea. Upon moving to Asia, he started his own rock group, the Charlie Swiggs Band.
“My background is more based on European culture in the time when I grew up, in the 60s and 70s, progressive rock and rock was very famous: the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, so I learned to play music in that environment. These kinds of influences shaped my musical talent,” said Mr. Schunn, who came to see DPA with his Taiwanese wife, daughter, and son.
His passion for introducing new styles of music brought him to establishing the annual Tainan May Jam music festival in southern Taiwan and hosting a radio program, Noting Creativity, on Southern Taiwan University of Technology’s Shining Radio (FM 88.1).
“It’s the first time I’ve seen the show. Chinese culture is very nice, it’s very beautiful, and the art is very nice—the way how the movements [flow] is quite interesting. I studied yoga and meditation for 30 years, and it’s very nice to see other people do something nice and spiritual, and to have a spiritual performance. It’s very uplifting.
“Well, for me as an artist, I am very critical, so I am looking for the a little bit of professionalism. The dance is very well-performed and touching. … Perhaps I am not such a touchy person when it comes to performances.”
It was not Mr. Schunn’s first encounter with Chinese performances, but “the first time in this context,” which he found to be “very high-quality.
“The drums were good, I liked the drums. I think what inspired me is the professionalism of the performers, which is first and foremost and the most important thing. And I liked the arm movement of the ladies. That was just fantastic, it was almost like it was water, it was just fantastic. It’s just a very different style of art from what I usually do. It has its place, it has its purpose.”
The moral of the program Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution touched Mr. Schunn deeply.
Upon witnessing the father’s determination and firm belief in truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance when he was persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party for his practice of Falun Gong, Mr. Schunn was moved.
“There is more than making money, there is more than being selfish, eaten away by our desire of having a lot of money, a nice car, a nice house, and a nice wife. There is more that we can discover, like the joy of living,” he said.
He said that he got the message from the show that people should treasure good friends and a healthy environment. This can help us look within, rather than finding faults in others. The program shows that good will be rewarded and evil will be punished. He realized that evil can never truly threaten us.
“I enjoyed very much the last show [Knowing the True Picture Offers Ultimate Hope]. I just enjoyed the little bit of Buddha, and this whole concept that life is more than making money and being self-indulgent in our mundane life. Like, trying to be someone, instead of looking into our true selves.”
For more information, please visit DivinePerformingArts.org
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