GEELONG, Australia—Shen Yun Performing Arts International Company is in Geelong for the first time. The curtain opened again on Saturday afternoon, April 4, to a full house. A few days before the show, it had already been hard to get a ticket.
On its 2009 World Tour, Shen Yun touches the hearts of audience members with its performances.
A mainland Chinese who had recently arrived and who did not wish to be identified said: “This sort of performance would be banned in the mainland, and we’d never get a chance to see this kind of thing, absolutely not. It’s the Chinese [outside the mainland] who have to carry this forward.”
Ms. Liu, her friend, was willing to give her name and speak. She had been in Australia for two years, and had similar feelings. “Chinese classical dance allows Westerners to appreciate the essence of Chinese culture. Performing it here, it feels different—but these works can give Westerners an insight into our culture. They can all understand it, so this display is already perfect. It also makes us Chinese very proud!”
With 2009, its third year in Australia, Shen Yun had already developed a solid reputation in the community. As a result of word-of-mouth from previous performances in Melbourne, this year many people came from Victoria’s capital to Geelong for the performance.
Many, including a good proportion of Chinese, came as part of a Shen Yun "one day tour,” where originally only one bus was organised, but two more were added when demand exceeded supply. In the end 150 people took the journey from Melbourne to Geelong, passing through Werribee, stopping for lunch, and then coming to see Shen Yun. They were happy with their journey, and enthralled with the performance. Many of them went out of their way to make clear that they felt it was worth the trip, and that they’d tell their friends and family for next year.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of the Shen Yun Performing Arts 2009 World Tour. For more information please visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org