THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.—Rony Cohen was among a sold-out audience watching the first performance of the world-renowned Shen Yun Performing Arts New York at the Fred Kavli on March 18.
Mr. Cohen is an international entrepreneur, founder of General Perfume & Cosmetic Distributors, Inc., which is a coast-to-coast group of companies importing perfumes, fragrances, and skincare products. He is also founder of California Israel, an international real estate development. He is a managing partner of CAC Development and other affiliated companies owning and managing hundreds of residential units and numerous commercial properties on the U.S. West Coast and in Mexico.
Mr. Cohen was especially touched by the spiritual values shared in the performance. “It’s something different, something with a lot of visual effects, the harmony with the music, and the dancing, something completely different to what I normally watch,” said Mr. Cohen. “It belongs to a different universe, something that I wasn’t aware about.”
According to the Shen Yun website, “In 2006, a group of leading classical Chinese artists came together in New York with one wish: to revive the true, divinely inspired culture of China and share it with the world.”
“For 5,000 years divine culture flourished in the land of China. Humanity’s treasure was nearly lost, but through breathtaking music and dance, Shen Yun is bringing back this glorious culture,” explains the website.
Mr. Cohen said the themes of the performance such as love, being a better human being, and enjoying life, resonated with him. “It lifts the spirit,” he said. “I think it fills the gap in people’s spirituality, without any particular religion, so I think it’s very positive. The universal message is good. Keep doing that.”
Mr. Cohen was appreciative that Shen Yun “provides and shows this rich culture. I find it very interesting, the use of silk and the fabrics, which is part of China. I think it’s very positive. People are not aware of how divined, refined the Chinese people are. And I love it.”
Shen Yun’s website describes the performance: “Sophisticated dance techniques, an orchestra joining instruments from both the East and West, beautiful costumes, and a stunning back drop—this is Shen Yun at first glance. But digging deeper, one discovers a sea of traditional Chinese culture.”
Mr. Cohen was delighted, “It’s all this composition of colors, sounds, movements. It was really interesting.”
Mr. Cohen said that he will recommend Shen Yun to everyone because of the educational value. “That [Shen Yun] is something they never saw, they’re not aware. It’s not the Occident, it’s what China, what one of the greatest civilizations” produced, he explained. “To learn about it, to learn about what is coming, what it was done, what we don’t know.”
Excitedly, Mr. Cohen proposed to help present Shen Yun to Argentina, where he was born, Israel where he lived, and Mexico where he did business.
Reporting by Thanh Le
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit Shen Yun Performing Arts.
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
