ESCONDIDO, Calif.—Martial arts expert Arcenio Advincula and his wife, Michie, were among the full house attending Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company at California Center for the Arts, Escondido, Feb. 27.
“This is about the sixth time we’ve been here,” he said. “So we come every year.”
Mr. Advincula, who is in his mid-70s, began practicing martial arts when he was eight. He co-founded the United Isshin-ryu Karate Association, he has been featured in Black Belt Magazine and Kung Fu Illustrated, and in 2001 he received the title of Black Belt Emeritus from the United States Marine Corps for contributing to the Marine Corps martial arts program.
Watching Shen Yun each year has become a custom for Mr. Advincula.
“We love tradition,” he said. His wife is from Okinawa, “and Okinawa has a lot of Chinese tradition,” he added.
Shen Yun is a non-profit, New York-based classical Chinese dance and music company that creates an all-new production each year while traveling the world on its mission to revive traditional Chinese culture.
Its website states, “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.”
The performance is composed of a variety of vignettes, and audiences are transported to heavenly realms, ancient imperial courts, and to scenes of various myths and legends, all of which embody the beliefs and values of traditional Chinese culture.
“It’s great,” Mr. Advincula said. “I love it. I love the classical dance and the philosophy.”
He said he brings home a feeling of cheerfulness and happiness after watching Shen Yun.
Mr. Advincula plans on returning in 2015. “Oh yeah, we come every year,” he said.
“I would recommend everybody to come here. If we come six times, it must be good.”
Reporting by Jane Yang and Albert Roman
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.
