HOUSTON—Michael Johnson, a psychologist, had no idea what to expect from
Shen Yun Performing Arts when he attended a New Year’s Eve performance with Christine Lewis. By the time intermission came around, he was still astounded.
“I’ve never been to this. It’s so profoundly elegant that it almost brings tears to your eyes. I would recommend this to anybody. It’s quite an experience,” Mr. Johnson said at the Jones Hall for the Performing Arts in Houston.
“I understand the history of China,” he added, “but I didn’t know that this wasn’t even allowed in China under the communist [rule], so it’s quite moving.”
New York-based
Shen Yun is the world’s top classical Chinese dance company, and its mission is to revive the authentic beauty and goodness of China before communism.
“Absolutely colorful, amazing, artistic, athletic,” Ms. Lewis said.
“And much more than I expected,” Mr. Johnson added.
Ms. Lewis had seen the advertisements all around town and she was the one who wished to see
Shen Yun. Mr. Johnson expected it would just be something to sit through. Instead, “this is going to be the highlight of the new year,” he said.
Before communism, for 5,000 years, China was a land with deep spiritual roots and believed its culture to be divinely inspired. The Chinese Communist Party is an atheist regime and has sought to stamp out this culture and prohibit Shen Yun.
Mr. Johnson felt
Shen Yun sent a strong message with their mission; he described a similar situation in Soviet Russia’s persecution of people of faith, and how he understood the gravity of events as a Catholic.
“All that rich tradition is taken away from the people,” he said.
“There’s still those who love the history, the
tradition of China has always been, and it’s a shame they have to be in the United States to represent that,“ Mr. Johnson said. ”The [vocalist] who sang, and the words, exemplified it. There’s a whole other dimension with the Chinese.”
Reporting by Sonia Wu.
