PHOENIX—Two cultured ladies were touched by what they saw when Shen Yun Performing Arts completed its second of three shows on a warm, cloudless afternoon at ASU Gammage Theatre.
Ms. Sunstein, an actress and one of the first graduates of Bennington College, attended the show with her friend Ms. Allensworth. Bennington College in Vermont was the first to include visual and performing arts as important curricular elements of a liberal arts education. Ms. Sunstein passionately enjoys classical music, opera, and other performing arts.
Ms. Sunstein said energetically about the show, “It was just fabulous.” She especially enjoyed the program [Monk Jigong Abducts the Bride] about the eccentric monk who saves a village from calamity .
Ms. Allensworth said the fan dance [Welcoming Spring] struck her the most. The flowers on stage “were like our petunias.” She also liked the distinct colors of the costumes and the backdrops: “It is unbelievable. You almost think you’re there.”
Ms. Sunstein agreed that the projected backdrops enhance the realism of the show. “I think the special effects are unbelievable. They really add to the show,” she said.
It’s not often in performing arts that audience members shed tears, but Shen Yun has that effect. It seems to awaken deep feelings.
Ms. Allensworth and Ms. Sunstein are no different. Both were moved during the dance Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution, which is about a father who is killed because he practices a mind-body discipline called Falun Dafa. Falun Dafa has been persecuted in China for the past 10 years.
Ms. Allensworth explained, “I cried because it was so real. It was so real.” She identified with the persecuted family, saying, “The thought that it brought home was that we could be in that position [of being persecuted].”
Ms. Allensworth said people in America don’t realize how fortunate they are to be living in the United States, where they can practice their beliefs freely without fear of being persecuted. She felt grateful for freedom of belief. “How lucky we are. I don’t think we realize how lucky we are.”
Stage veteran Ms. Sunstein commented that the dancers “were completely together. [They] were just
beautiful. Dancers are the workers. It’s the biggest discipline there is.”
She was also touched by the dignity the performers displayed in the Falun Dafa programs.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of the Shen Yun Performing Arts 2009 World Tour. For more information please visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
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