BRISBANE, Australia—Fukien-born Ms. Mon Lay of the Himalayas thrilled to the thunderous drumming of Shen Yun Performing Arts 2009 World Tour showcased at Queensland Conservatorium Theatre in Brisbane on April 9.
Fukien is a Buddhist state and as a practising Buddhist, Ms. Mon Lay, was in raptures over the New York-based company’s revival of China’s five-millennia-old culture in Chinese classical dance and music.
At seven months pregnant, Ms. Mon Lay generally doesn’t keep late nights, but she said she was happy she was able to keep awake to see the whole show.
“It was great. What a great performance. I love the dancing ... the dedication and the connection with Buddha. I think that was wonderful.”
She was also swept away by the sketch, Flowing Sleeves, a portal into an ancient Tang Dynasty imperial court revealing the magnificence and elegance of that era.
But the depiction of a family’s struggle when a father is persecuted for practising the banned meditation system, Falun Gong, Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution carried an important message for Ms. Mon Lay.
“You know how there were people persecuting them, they still had this right faith and indestructible belief in what to believe in. And how the soul of the person is taken away, I think it is wonderful. I love the end ... [to follow one’s virtuous path]. ... We loved it.”
Story-based dance, music are melded perfectly with state-of-the-art backdrops integrating with the stage scene at hand.
Live shows are a specialty of the family. Her husband, Mr. Bathol is a producer just recently finished touring.
And despite being pregnant, tending to their two daughters and running a household, Ms. Mon Lay takes care of her husband’s business accounts.
“It was a beautiful show. The performance was wonderful. We really loved the dancing. The dancing was particularly spectacular. The costumes were very colourful and performed with a lot of art.”
Mr. Bathol knew a little about Chinese culture, but after seeing the show he “definitely” knows a lot more now.
“It’s nice to see a different perspective of Chinese culture,” he said.
The family had seen a video story of Monkey King. The Monkey King Triumphs and the story of a pious daughter, Mulan, adapted to suit the stage performance Mulan Joins the Battle. The Poets Vision of the drunken monk, Li Bai “was really nice, this touch, how much myths like that come back to the modern world and teach about history. It’s lovely,” Ms. Mon Lay said.
Her husband could not favour one act over another.
“It’s so hard to choose; they were all so wonderful. I think the dancing was really the thing that captured my imagination. I really loved the colour. The dancing was just superb. It was wonderful.
“They were wonderful voices. Really wonderful! Fantastic singers. World-class!”
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of the Shen Yun Performing Arts 2009 World Tour. For more information please visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
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