MEXICO CITY—Shen Yun Performing Arts has given painter Luz del Carmen Banda de Alvarez a new view of China.
After seeing Shen Yun on May 8 at Auditorio Nacional, Ms. Alvarez said she gained “a knowledge I didn’t have” about China’s customs and ethnicities.
Further, the image she had of China was literally being erased by the rich culture presented by New York-based Shen Yun.
“To remember again that it has so many years, thousands of years—that it’s not only the particular political culture they have now and that there is a lot behind it,” she said. Shen Yun “should keep fostering that knowledge,” she said.
Ms. Alvarez, who is also second vice president of the Mexican Federation of Painters in China, described the effect of Shen Yun.
“One feels transported to such a wonderful world,” she said.
Shen Yun melds multiple elements together to present a revival of the 5,000-year-old Chinese culture, a culture that the ruling communist regime had all but destroyed.
The digital backdrops anchor the stage and present vivid images from across the vast country, as well as glimpses of heavenly realms. Dancers, schooled in one of the most difficult master art forms in the world and adorned with handmade regalia, are at the heart of the performance. The accompanying orchestra blends both classical Western and Chinese instruments in a unique way.
Ms. Alvarez said that the colors and scenes in the performance “are superb” and “it’s really amazing what they achieved.”
“One gets into those fields, the snow, the mountains, the river, and the effects they have,” she said. “It’s wonderful.”
Traditional Chinese culture is replete with principles and virtues such as a respect for the heavens and divine retribution and benevolence, wisdom, and sincerity, according to Shen Yun’s website. China was once known as Shen Zhou, or “The Divine Land,” and disciplines as varied as music, medicine, and attire are believed to have been passed down to the culture from the heavens. Shen Yun means the beauty of divine beings dancing.
Ms. Alvarez saw a deep spirituality in Shen Yun’s presentation of the ancient culture, including the portrayal of the creation of the culture.
There is, she said, “a great spirituality that the Chinese people have,” which in many ways is independent from all religions.
“This brings all people together,” she said, feeling a connection between the Latin and Chinese cultures.
The performance gave her a sense of “great peace for the whole world.”
“It’s goodness and peace for the whole world,” she said. “Which is what one should foster where one is.”
Reporting by Jennifer Garcia and Zachary Stieber
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.
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