JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—Shen Yun Performing Arts transported JoAnn and David Ray on a journey through Chinese history at the University of North Florida’s Fine Arts Center on Jan. 24.
The performance gave her shivers emotionally, spiritually, and intellectually, said Mrs. Ray, who owns Northeast Florida Automatic Fire Protection and Apprenticeship. Her husband is an engineer and designer of the company’s fire prevention systems.
The program book calls Shen Yun “a gift from the divine land.” “China was once known as the Celestial Empire, its glorious culture said to have been brought down from the heavens,” it says.
Speaking of how Shen Yun presents Chinese history, Mrs. Ray said, “The beauty … moves you. It moves you inside and spiritually.”
In the story-based dance Capturing Arrows with Boats of Straw, Shen Yun took the Rays to the scene of a great battle along the banks of the Yangtze River in the year 208.
The Snow-Capped Celebration transported them to the Himalayas, under the grand profile of Lhasa’s Potala Palace. There, Tibetan men, danced joyfully, whirling their sleeves in a celebration.
Shen Yun also took theatergoers to contemporary China in a portrayal of the power of compassion, which is the name of another dance. It portrays people practicing Falun Dafa, a spiritual mediation discipline whose practitioners are persecuted in China today.
Mr. Ray felt “the love and compassion” in the dance and said he was moved because of the ongoing persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners. “The people can overcome it,” he said, adding that the message was very good.
After traveling to Hainan Island for the Dance of the Li, and exploring other colorful landscapes through dance and music, the performance closed with The Divine Renaissance Begins, which portrayed the theme that good will triumph over evil.
For others who wish to travel through Chinese history, Shen Yun will offer two more performances in Jacksonville on Sunday, Jan. 25.
Reporting by Sherry Dong and Adam Miller
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.
Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time. We have proudly covered audience reaction since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
