CLAREMONT, Calif.—After 95-year-old Georgie Ingrao saw a Shen Yun advertisement on TV, she said to herself, “I'd love to watch that show.” And so on April 8, she did just that, along with six of her family members.
“I loved it. I loved it.” Ms. Ingrao said after the performance at the Bridges Auditorium in Claremont. Finding it difficult to articulate the specifics, she kept saying, “I liked everything about it.”
Six of Ingrao’s children and grandchildren also attended. They included Mike Buckhave, who is one of Ms. Ingrao’s sons, and his wife, two daughters Stephanie Buckhave and Samantha Kerr, son-in-law Levi Kerr, as well as the daughters’ cousin Joyce Buckhave.
Mr. Buckhave has a special connection with Asian culture. “I served as a missionary for my church for 2 years in Japan from 1977 to 1979,” he said. “So I was exposed to Asian culture. I have a deep love and appreciation for Asian culture. I’m very grateful to be here today.”
“The religious freedom aspect of it is very touching,” he added, referring to the classical Chinese dance story of Falun Dafa practitioners staying true to their belief despite of the persecution.
Mrs. Buckhave was impressed with the story telling aspect of the show. “I think it’s beautiful. I loved the colors. I loved the stories that it’s telling, and the humor! I didn’t know there was going to be humor. I loved that! I loved that!”
Shen Yun Performing Arts was established in 2006 in New York with the mission to revive 5,000 years of divinely inspired Chinese traditional culture.
Mr. Kerr, who is studying human resource management in Napa Valley, said, “It’s a lot different from anything on the stage that I’ve ever seen. I’ve seen plays and movies, but I’ve never seen dancing like that before. All the colors, and how perfectly everything is executed, is most impressive.”
His wife, Mrs. Kerr, who is a 4th grade teacher, payed special note to the live orchestra and the costumes. “I love the live orchestra. The music is amazing. And even the sounds that the dancers are making as they go are amazing. I really enjoyed looking at traditional wear from different cultures and different time periods, so it’s been really fun to see the different periods of time as well as different ethnic groups and their clothing being represented.”
As they spoke, each member of the family beamed with joy. Grandma Georgie Ingrao puts it most simply and succinctly, “We’ve been blessed.”
Reporting by Alex Lee and Sophia Fang
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.
