Theatre Patrons appreciate Shen Yun's spiritual message (Photos)

(Clearwisdom.net) Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company held its final performance at the prestigious San Diego Civic Theatre on the last day of 2009, and many people chose to celebrate the New Year in a very special way.

Former Music Major: "Everybody should have the right to believe whatever they want to believe"

Ms. Evans was a music major in college and loves the arts. She attended the performance on New Year's Eve and said it was "very spectacular, very colorful." As well as enjoying the beauty, the music and dancing of the show, she felt it was especially nice to see a culture different from her own.

Her friend, Mr. Ditges, found the whole experience "very calming and soothing," he chuckled, "that was what I came here for." It was their first encounter with classical Chinese dance and they were eager to learn more.

Ms. Evans and Mr. Ditges at the San Diego Civic Theatre, December 31, 2009

Upon hearing about the persecution of Falun Gong, a traditional spiritual discipline, happening in China which is portrayed in two dances of the show, Mr. Ditges said, "It is an abomination; everybody should have the right to believe whatever they want to believe."

Ms. Evans also found it very sad to hear about the persecution against hundreds of thousands of innocent people. While she agreed with the way the message was presented on stage, she was worried that those dancers might face persecution when they returned to China. She was relieved to find out that the dancers are actually New York-based.

Mr. Ditges added: "That is good that they are able to show us what is happening in China ... I do believe that things will change eventually ... and things are changing."

Physician: Important for Shen Yun Performers to have freedom of expression

Greg, a physician, and friend Rosemary, a retired Special Education Parent Facilitator, were delighted to be in the audience. Enjoying the full orchestra which embraced Eastern and Western instruments, bringing a different tonal scale to astounded ears.

"It was excellent, it was beautiful and it was well orchestrated. The skill level was outstanding. The music was beautiful, the costumes, and the pageantry was not just beautiful but they were very sensitively arranged, well displayed," said Greg.

Continuing his thought he said, "The show was beautiful, it was well done and I think it was a good display of beliefs and ideas."

Greg and Rosemary at Shen Yun on December 31

Rosemary joined into the conversation, "The singing was amazing; both the singers had such beautiful voices. But it really sort of took me back in time of Chinese past and also contemporary China."

The performance is something for all ages and all can enjoy what is unfolding on stage.

"I think it is excellent for children. I think the earlier we can expose them to different cultures the better it is because I think we can all learn. ... The little girl that performed, she was very good," said Rosemary.

Continuing as an afterthought, "I got more of an understanding of Chinese culture and also of Chinese history and also a little bit of a taste of the different regions of China."

Greg joined back into the conversation, "This show gives you a dimension of China and the Chinese people that we have never been able to see before."

"I think it is very important, the message that they had about the freedom to express the culture is not in present day China. But it's very important for them [Shen Yun performers] to have that freedom," shared Rosemary.

Former Dance Teacher: "It's pure joy"

Heather Friedman, a local fine art distributor and former dance teacher with a degree in theater, was captivated during the intermission of Shen Yun's final show in San Diego, December 31.

"It's just pure joy," exclaimed Mrs. Friedman at intermission. She was struggling to put a finger on how she was feeling.

This was Mrs. Friedman's second time watching Shen Yun. She caught a show a few years ago in Escondido, CA.

"I'm extremely impressed with the skill of dance--the skill of the dance is superb. Its excellent," she said.

Mrs. Friedman at Shen Yun's final San Diego performance

She could see through her binoculars the facial expressiveness of the dancers.

"All their faces are alive, bright, full of life and joy. Its very uplifting," said Mrs. Friedman.

She was swept away by the New York company's presentation of China's 5000-year-old divinely-inspired heritage played out upon the stage and completely lost track of time, she said.

"The unity of the dance company, the timing ... its like one body, the whole group is like one body--Beautiful."

Mrs. Friedman was impressed with the vocalists, particularly the baritone ... "ohhh, an extremely rich voice-extremely rich," she enthused.

Regarding the costumes on the dancers, "They are beautiful, ... the colors are magnificent. Its breathtaking, It's food for the soul, and food for the eyes. A feast," said Mrs. Friedman.

Classical Chinese dance is full of expression evoking a range of emotions portraying China's 5000-year-old history to modern day events depicted in story-based dance.

One scene tells the story of a Falun Gong practitioner who loses his life at the hands of the Chinese police, a sad and uplifting story that resonated with the audience.

Mrs. Friedman both enjoyed and appreciated this piece saying, "I know there are elements in the world where people have to be made aware of."

She mused; "Beautiful people, beautiful dancers, the culture is there. It's very spiritual."

Source:
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/27295/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/27300/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/27286/