ST. LOUIS—“Very calming and quixotic,” was how Joseph Hunter described the performance after seeing Shen Yun Performing Arts, on Feb. 15, at the Peabody Opera House.
Mr. Hunter is a retired mechanical engineer, master mechanic, and business administrator of Hunter Engineering Company. According to Mr. Hunter, his father’s and uncle’s company is “The world’s largest company that makes automotive aftermarket service equipment.”
“I love the arts. My father was an engineer, my mother was an artist and a model so the juxtaposition between the two worlds is just unbelievable,” he explained.
Mr. Hunter explained that his deep admiration of the arts stems from his upbringing. “I’m fascinated with the arts.” His mother brought him up to appreciate them.
New York-based Shen Yun has been captivating audiences since 2006. Each season touring companies bring an all new program to over 100 cities in up to 20 countries.
Through dance, song, and live orchestral music, the performance brings to life legends and heroes from China’s 5,000 year history from ancient times to the present day.
By retelling these stories through Chinese classical dance, accompanied by a full-orchestra featuring Eastern and Western instruments, and animated backdrops, Shen Yun aspires to bring to life the traditional Chinese culture that has been lost or destroyed over the past 60 years of Communist rule.
Mr. Hunter described the part of the performance that stood out most to him. “The one that has the sleeves and the colors, I mean that’s so vibrant. Luckily, I’m not color blind,” he joked.
“I’m learning that no matter how impressed you are, the truth will always come out. No matter if the powers are corrupt that run everything, the true feelings of people will always blossom,” he said.
He was referring to the power of China, but yet the fact that the country does suppresses traditional culture.
As far as the quality of classical Chinese dance, Mr. Hunter commented on “the synchronicity and the movement, the flow and the discipline that has been given to this art is just unbelievable.” These are some of the things that impressed him the most.
“The movements were just effervescent, just flows. I’m glad I made it down here,” he added.
Mr. Hunter said one important message he got from watching the performance was: “Believing in oneself, because if you don’t know yourself, you don’t know anything else.”
He pointed out one dance in which the current persecution of Falun Dafa is depicted. In the scene a mother and daughter hold up a banner with the words, “Truth, Tolerance, and Compassion, right. Compassion is the main one. Most people forget that. A true person is one that can be compassionate as well as strong.”
“Enjoyment,” he said was the theme and “Carpe Diem! Make every day count because yesterday is gone. I look at it this way,” he said.
Reporting by Stacey Tang and Andrew Darin
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.
