NEW YORK—Paul and Cindy Canevari enjoyed Shen Yun Performing Arts at the David H. Koch Theater on April 11.
Mr. Canevari, a general contractor in construction, said, “I just love the artistry in the costumes, the dance. Beautiful.”
Mrs. Canevari retired as executive director for an accounting firm. She liked the way the dancers moved. “They’re fabulous. The athleticism is amazing,” she said.
Mrs. Canevari said how much Shen Yun informed them about what is happening in China, historically and today. “I think it really helps people understand the history and some of the changes that the country has gone through.”
One of the dances, “The Steadfast Heart,” shows persecution by the communist regime against people of the Falun Dafa faith in China today.
According to the Shen Yun 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. Falun Dafa practitioners could once be found in parks across China. But in 1999, the communist regime, fearing the practice’s popularity, launched a brutal campaign to wipe it out.”
Mr. Canevari said, “I think it’s terrible what they’re doing to the people for their belief or religion. For [the communist regime] to persecute a whole group of people that don’t believe in what they believe in, and they are persecuted.”
Mrs. Canevari said, “I love the style of the dance that they bring, that they really help you see the story through the way that they do the dance, the moves, and everything.
“You can really see the story,” she said. “I love the fact of the screen in the back that brings the person into the stage and then out of the stage again. It really adds a dimension to the story to help people understand what’s going on.”
Shen Yun features a patented digital backdrop that interacts with the dancers as they jump in and out of magical landscapes.
Two emcees introduce the dance dramas in English and Mandarin.
Mrs. Canevari said, “What I like about it is the way [the emcees] define what the stories are about before we see them, so we can really understand what the actors are depicting throughout the story. I really enjoy that.”
