Pilot David White Liked the ‘Symbolism’ of Shen Yun

Pilot David White said he liked the symbolism after seeing Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company perform in Sydney’s iconic Capitol Theatre.
Pilot David White Liked the ‘Symbolism’ of Shen Yun
4/28/2012
Updated:
12/16/2012

SYDNEY—Pilot David White said he liked the symbolism after seeing Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company perform in Sydney’s iconic Capitol Theatre on the evening of Saturday, April 28.

Mr. White said his brothers are musicians. “They actually play some of the instruments that they [the emcees] mentioned,” he said. “They play the lute, the guitar and the violin,” he added.

Mr. White liked the blending of Western and Eastern instruments. The Shen Yun website states that the ability to seamlessly blend Eastern and Western instruments to create one fresh harmonious sound is what makes the Shen Yun Performing Arts Orchestra unique.

Formed in 2006, Shen Yun Performing Arts presents classical Chinese dance and music to audiences around the globe and has the mission to revive 5,000 years of divinely inspired Chinese culture, according to the website.

Mr. White was interested in the underlying messages behind the persecuted Falun Dafa, also called Falun Gong, a spiritual practice banned since 1999 in China. “That came out quite clear in the performance and some of the narrative,” he said.

He liked how it was related to the history of China and the traditional dances and culture. “It just helps people be more aware of what’s happening within groups like Falun Dafa and what they’re having to go through,” he said.

As Mr. White spent some time in Tibet, the Tibetan dance Khata for the Gods interested him in particular.

The dancers in this piece step and stomp, spin and soar with joyful, vibrant energy. In their hands they hold the khata, a traditional scarf presented to guests, explains the website.

Reporting by Luke Hughes and Ron Champagne.

Shen Yun Performing Arts, based in New York, tours the world on a mission to revive traditional Chinese culture. Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company will be in Sydney Australia through May 6.

For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.