SPOKANE, Wash.—
Shen Yun Performing Arts is a nostalgic experience for audience members who have already visited China. It is a poignant moment to be able to admire the beauty of China’s traditional culture through a repertoire of classical Chinese dance and music, artforms that draw on China’s 5,000-year-old civilization.
Terry Carlson, a semi-retired business owner, his wife Eunice, a homemaker, and Ami Balison, a teacher, were all enjoying a wonderful
evening at the First Interstate Center for the Arts in Spokane.
Mr. Carlson, who was watching
Shen Yun for the first time, had already visited China and wanted to know more about its culture.
He was also very supportive of Shen Yun, whose mission is to revive China’s authentic
traditional culture, which was all but destroyed by the Chinese communist regime.
”God created a country’s culture and they were all very special,” he said.
Shen Yun was wonderful and everyone should see it, he said. “It [is] something you could sit around home at night and watch for hours.”
The dances in
Shen Yun depict stories that hail from a time when China was known as the “celestial empire.” In fact, it was believed that all art forms in Chinese culture were passed down by heavenly beings to earthly mortals. The stories convey values such as compassion, honesty, and tolerance that were once the foundation of China’s society.
Mr. Carlson said he felt very relaxed during the performance.
However, the dance “Insanity During End of Days,” which depicts the courage of people of faith despite the persecution and organ harvesting from Falun Dafa adherents to supply China’s organ transplant industry, was emotional for Mr. Carlson.
“I despise that kind of activity of one person against another. So I am glad [
Shen Yun is] revealing that,” he said.
Falun Dafa is a Buddhist-like meditation practice that is based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance.
“I knew it was fabulous,” said Mrs. Carlson. The moment she discovered that Shen Yun was coming to Spokane, she called the
ticket office and ordered 14 tickets, she said.
“And then I found people to come,” she said. “When we saw this, like, oh, we want to be a part of this culture.”
The movements of the dancers were very graceful and the costumes were lovely, she said.
“You could see that the morality and … the pureness of it came forth. That’s what we really appreciate,” she said.
“[I felt] calm, peaceful and joyful,” she said. She explained why it was important for people to see a Shen Yun
performance.
“We need to know that we are part of God’s creation, that we aren’t here by accident, that we do have destiny and we have purpose. And I think that that came through very loud and clear,” she said.
Ms. Balison had spent three years teaching in China.
“So, for me tonight was a real pleasure. It was really nice because I got to see some of what I miss about the
culture.”
She said unfortunately many Americans hold a negative opinion of the Chinese people because of what they read in the news. But
Shen Yun showed that the Chinese people are also precious.
“[People] can then see … that they are also humans, they are people who share the same kind of emotions that we do and the same sort of joys and frustrations and experiences. So that was wonderful,” said Ms. Balison.
There was a message of joy and encouragement in
Shen Yun, she said.
She was also touched by the dance “Insanity During the End of Days” and the persecution of Falun Dafa adherents. She said she had friends from Xinjiang Province in China and was aware of what was happening.
“And I actually know that several of my friends, from when I was there, have had to flee China because of the persecution and so I know it is real and I was glad to see that portrayed. I think that you have to portray the fuller picture and not just the good. So it was it was very emotional for me to see both sides because I know it is a reality in present-day and I hope the best for them,” she said.
Reporting by NTD Television and Diane Cordemans.
