HOUSTON—On Feb. 14, university student Karen Simien brought her father, Johnathan Simien, an entrepreneur, to Shen Yun Performing Arts’ evening show at the CFISD Visual and Performing Arts Center as an early birthday celebration.
Mr. Simien had wanted to see the show for years and was delighted with his birthday gift.
“I felt pain in some of the [pieces,] I felt happiness in some of the pieces, I felt loss in some of the pieces, I felt the hero in some of the pieces—you feel everything in the show.”
The spread of atheism rapidly undermined belief in the divine, and the cherished virtues drawn from Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism were swept away.
Having lived in many parts of the world, Mr. Simien loves learning about different cultures and introducing them to his daughter. He believes Shen Yun is doing important work, bringing back traditional culture.
“Opening your mind and opening your avenues up to other cultures is beautiful,” he said.
He also loved the piece “Peacock Paradise,” where celestial maidens danced gracefully amid flowing clouds.
“Nobody really sees the beauty in a peacock. It’s pretty much forgotten until you see something like [Shen Yun] because everyone’s mind is stuck into a cell phone,” he said. “The peacock [dance] brought out the beauty of the real nature.”
Reflecting on the performance, Mr. Simien said the message he will carry home is that “everyone is fighting pretty much for the same things, no matter where you are in this world.”
“Peace, happiness, and love—that’s what I got from the show,” Mr. Simien added. “It was beautiful.”
