HOUSTON—High school musician Sofia Soto had dreamed of watching Shen Yun Performing Arts since a very young age, but her mother worried she might not be able to sit still at the time.
On Feb. 13, the mother-and-daughter duo attended Shen Yun’s fifth performance at the CFISD Visual and Performing Arts Center. It proved well worth the wait.
“I loved it. I loved all the really bright colors, and I loved all the music,” Sofia said happily. “It’s very hard to explain—the music just has specific parts that is so interesting with all the different instruments coming together.”
She was captivated by the pipa, an ancient Chinese instrument once played on horseback to signal troops during battle. Though small in appearance, it is capable of surprising power and intensity.
Sofia thought it was beautiful how instruments of such different cultures can come together to produce lyrical and heart-rending music.
Mrs. Soto, too, had a wonderful time. She is very happy to see her daughter enjoying the performance.
“I was so amazed by the colors and how everything was so fluid and eye-catching. That, combined with the music, creates an emotion in you that you can’t replicate. You can’t pretend through it—it’s very raw and very real.”
“I think it’s very important that we, as Americans, understand different heritages across the world. … We need to value their culture, what they bring to the United States of America, and how they impact the melting pot we live in,” Mrs. Soto expressed.
Shen Yun “really speaks a lot about eternity and why we’re here. We come to Earth, we experience life, and it’s beautiful—but ultimately, we’re going to heaven. We have an eternal soul. This place is temporary; what’s beyond is even more beautiful.”
