MELBOURNE, Australia—Husband and wife, Reza Nejatifar and Maddi Taheri left an evening performance of Shen Yun Performing Arts feeling full of love. They attended Shen Yun at the Arts Centre Melbourne, State Theatre on Feb. 22.
Mr. Nejatifar, a jeweler, and Ms. Taheri, a nurse, bought their Shen Yun tickets together as a Valentines Day gift to each other. He was emotionally moved by Shen Yun, particularly from the traditional Chinese culture shown on stage. The couple agreed that this was the most valuable gift they could receive.
“It really, really impressed me because this is the old history from China,” he said. “Really, really I was touched, I feel really good inside and outside.”
Since the Cultural Revolution, the Chinese government has suppressed traditional culture and the freedom of belief in China. However New York-based Shen Yun aims to revive these 5000 years of lost Chinese civilization.
Ms. Taheri was saddened that Shen Yun could not perform in China, she felt China should privilege the opportunity to present Shen Yun, they needed Shen Yun.
For Ms. Taheri, the divine aspect of the performances struck her the most.
“The divine shows very well … in some scenes that I’ve seen today, all of my hair stood at the end.”
Shen Yun performers have always looked to the divine for inspiration. “This spiritual connection is motivation for striving to excel, is the heart behind each movement of the dancer and each note of the musician,” according to their website.
Ms. Taheria’s connection with Shen Yun was deeper than most. She could relate to the importance of preserving traditional culture and the freedom of belief, based from her home country in the Iran.
She emphasized that humans are the same, regardless of differences in culture.
“I feel sorry because Middle East and China at the moment, there isn’t any freedom for people to show their traditional things, to show their feeling, to show their ideas about the divine and the world. And I think human beings are the same. They are one.”
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.
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.
