ALBANY, N.Y.—Construction company owner Kamil Celustka and his wife, Janell, the CEO of a food company, attended Shen Yun Performing Arts’ first show at Proctors Theatre on April 14. When Mrs. Celustka saw the company’s advertisement, she knew it was a must-see.
She especially enjoyed the piece, where the dancers’ long sleeves billowed and flowed like the gentle movement of water on stage. According to the company’s website, these sleeves were a part of ancient Chinese feminine attire representing humility and grace.
The spread of atheism rapidly undermined belief in the divine, and the cherished virtues drawn from Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism were swept away.
“I grew up in Czech Republic, so I like all different culture,” Mr. Celustka shared. The performance was “entertaining … and enjoyable. I also like all the story, the clothes, the different kind of dresses—every culture’s got something different. So, I enjoy that.”
“It’s just exciting to see how somebody probably spent hours and years learning this skill,” Mrs. Celustka chimed in. “It was pretty interesting to see that they’re [trained] right here in New York.”
Reflecting on the artists’ mission to revive traditional Chinese culture and moral values, Mr. Celustka said they “should be brought back.”
“I feel like every culture should keep the tradition going, because if you don’t ... then what’s left in the world?” he expressed. “I’m just glad there’s somebody who’s passing it on.”
Mrs. Celustka couldn’t agree more.
“I didn’t know that they weren’t allowed to do this in China, currently. It’s really sad, actually,” she said.
Values are “taught in tradition. Basic kindness and morals that should be getting passed along. Every culture has their own unique way of doing it. The world definitely needs it. So, we’re going to go home and tell our kids about this and explain to them the different stories that we saw tonight.”
