SAN JOSE, Calif.—Maximilliano Busnardo, a restoration ecologist, attended
Shen Yun’s matinee at the Center for the Performing Arts on Dec. 30. He was amazed by the beauty and grace of Shen Yun and thought “it was an amazing demonstration of human potential.”
Mr. Busnardo said his biggest takeaway from the show was hope. “I already understood that we, each individual, are a manifestation of the powers—the beauty, the kindness, and the love—of nature,” he said.
“[The performance] was incredible and inspirational. It gave me hope that humanity will be free from forces trying to keep us from realizing our true nature. I’ve got to come every year now to see Shen Yun.”
Based in New York, Shen Yun Performing Arts is the world’s premier
classical Chinese dance and music company. It was founded in 2006 by a group of leading Chinese artists who had fled the persecution of the communist party.
Following the 1949 communist takeover, traditional Chinese culture and spirituality went through
a period of mass destruction, and atheism is rampant.
Since Shen Yun’s establishment, the New York-based artists have made it their
mission to revive China’s 5,000 years of divinely inspired culture.
“The Communist Party is a cancer on earth. I don’t want to be against anything but I do need to take a stance—people should be allowed to be free, free to discover the truth of who they are,” Mr. Busnardo said.
“Some governments in power are afraid of the innate power that’s in every individual on the planet. It’s our birthright to realize our true nature,” he said.
Mr. Busnardo also loved Shen Yun’s
vocalists and thought the whole show had a lot of spiritual depth.
“I can’t understand Chinese, but I can read the [translated] words. The lyrics to the songs were really inspirational,” he added.
Referring to Shen Yun’s mission to revive traditional culture and raise awareness of human rights issues in modern-day China, Mr. Busnardo said Shen Yun delivered a powerful message.
“The dances, the orchestra’s
musical expressions, and the spirituality delivered a really powerful message together—that there are political powers all over the world using violence, misinformation, and deception to control people’s minds in ways that [the people] don’t even realize that they’re being controlled.”
If given a chance to speak with Shen Yun
performers, Mr. Busnardo said he would tell the artists to “keep going.”
“[The show] was amazing and incredible. Keep going. You are helping so much and doing such a great service for humanity. Keep going, and thank you very much.”
Reporting by Chiawei Lin and Jennifer Tseng.
