STAMFORD, Conn.—The Daveys appreciated their first time watching Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Palace Theatre on May 9.
Larry Davey, a retired technician, said, “It’s very enjoyable. I[’m] having a really good time. It’s great—the extreme athleticism of the men and then the grace of the women.”
Gail Davey, a senior associate attorney, said how much her husband wanted to see Shen Yun. “He’s wanted to see this for so long, and it popped up on an email, probably from The Epoch Times,” she said.
“It’s colorful. It’s beautiful. I’m enjoying it,” she said. “They’re incredibly talented dancers. The expression of what is going on in China with these poor people, it surprised me that it would be actually portrayed and put out there. For people who have no idea what’s going on, they can actually see a little bit of how terrible it is.”
Mrs. Davey was familiar with the story dramatized in “The Steadfast Heart.” According to the program, “This contemporary story reflects the reality faced by countless people in China today. It tells of people who practice Falun Dafa (or Falun Gong), the meditation discipline guided by the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance. In 1999, the communist regime, fearing the practice’s popularity, launched a brutal campaign to wipe it out.” Shen Yun is banned in China.
Shen Yun’s mission is to revive the traditional culture of “China before communism.” Mrs. Davey said, “It’s beautiful. It gives little snapshots of ancient Chinese culture and the diversity of the ancient Chinese culture. You might have a perspective of it being just one thing; there’s so much more because China was so vast.”
Mrs. Davey was touched by “the beauty of the dancing, the costumes, and everything, and also the demonstration for people who don’t know what is happening to these poor people in China.”
She was appalled “to see people walking around the cells and people coming in with money to buy [human] organs.” She noted how victims of organ harvesting are not doing this voluntarily and how they are assaulted.
“It’s barbaric that the organs are just taken,” Mrs. David said. “I have to say it was surprising to see that because I didn’t expect it, but I think it’s important to say. We knew that it was happening, and it’s good that it’s getting out because I think most American people don’t know.”
Traditional Chinese culture from “China before communism” is filled with spiritual qualities that are universal to every culture. Mr. Davey said, “We recognize reincarnation, and we actually believe in that, too. A lot of it is very much what we believe. It’s good to see it.”
