WASHINGTON—Beautiful and graceful performers returned to the Kennedy Center Thursday night for another performance of Shen Yun Performing Arts. The sheer beauty of the presentation wowed one member of the audience who called Shen Yun, “absolutely spectacularly beautiful.”
Grace-Marie Turner said the beauty of Shen Yun’s promotional material initially attracted her. The performance however, was “even more beautiful than I could have imagined,” she said.
Ms. Turner is founder and president of the non-profit Galen Institute, a health-care public policy think tank based in Alexandria, Va. Ms. Turner has testified before Congress, and she advises government and legislators on health policies. She has frequently appeared on radio and television programs as well and has been published in major newspapers.
Reflecting on the performance, Ms. Turner was impressed by the costumes and gracefulness of the dancers. “It’s just spectacular; it’s beautiful,” she said.
Ms. Turner was especially interested in the piece titled “An Unexpected Encounter,” a dance that tells the story of a father and daughter touring China. As they leisurely take pictures, they come upon some practitioners of the spiritual discipline Falun Dafa, who happen to be holding a banner. They take pictures with the meditators, but before they know it they are entangled with the police, as Falun Dafa is persecuted in China under the communist regime.
Ms. Turner said she thought the piece was important to have in the production. She said the program helps the audience understand China’s lack of free expression, but that it also helps the audience members see that the performance is not a production of China’s Communist regime. “I think that’s really important and wonderful,” she said.
With reporting by New Tang Dynasty Television and Nicholas Zifcak
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. Shen Yun New York Company is performing in Washington D.C. at the Kennedy Center Opera House from Jan 30 — Feb 3 For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
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