(Minghui.org) The eight companies of Shen Yun Performing Arts continued its world tour, presenting a total of 38 performances in Germany, France, Brazil, Mexico, South Korea, and the United States during the first week of May.

Shen Yun Touring Company at a packed house (with added seats) at the Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City, Mexico, on the evening of May 4. The company presented six performances in Mexico City May 1–5. (The Epoch Times)

Shen Yun New World Company presented three performances to packed houses at the Jefferson Performing Arts Center in Metairie, Louisiana, on May 4 and 5. (The Epoch Times)

“Divine Love”

Tiffany Ruiz at the Shen Yun performance in Metairie, Louisiana, on May 4 (The Epoch Times)

Fashion designer Tiffany Ruiz saw Shen Yun in Metairie on May 4.

She was impressed by Shen Yun’s hand-made costumes. “I thought they were amazing,” Ms. Ruiz said. “I loved all of the vibrant colors. I was very surprised to see that the colors were that vibrant, actually.”

Ms. Ruiz said that the emotions she felt when watching Shen Yun included “happiness, joy... [and] a lot of things that lead back to the divine,” and that she could see that Shen Yun was trying to reconnect people with the divine.

“I think [Shen Yun] definitely shows the Creator’s compassion... It definitely shows a direct connection to the divinity. It shows it in different ways. It shows it through music. It shows it through dance. It shows it through all the ways that we can express ourselves without anybody telling us what to do. You can express yourself in these ways to the divine,” she said.

“I see just divine love, a divine oneness—just everything becoming one,” Ms. Ruiz added. “It almost felt like that was a state of enlightenment.”

Ms. Ruiz said she sees that Shen Yun’s beauty can help people realize the beauty the Creator has blessed humankind with and that it was great for Shen Yun to be sharing this beauty with more people. She also expressed her gratitude towards the performers.

“Thank you very much, you did a wonderful job... Not only are you giving a performance, but you’re moving people spiritually, and you’re letting them see a more clear picture of how you have really encompassed the divine,” she said.

Greater New Orleans Elected Officials Welcome Shen Yun

Prior to Shen Yun’s performances in Metairie, the company received recognitions and welcome remarks from elected officials from the New Orleans metropolitan area.

Recognition from Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. (NTD Television)

Recognition from LaToya Cantrell, Mayor of New Orleans (NTD Television)

“The Golden Rule”

Gary Berntsen at the Shen Yun performance in St. Petersburg, Florida, on May 5 (The Epoch Times)

Gary Berntsen, author and former career officer at the Central Intelligence Agency, saw Shen Yun in St. Petersburg on May 5.

“Most of us probably believe in God, believe in the Creator. I’m sure that there is more than one path toward the Creator, but what Shen Yun communicated was the golden rule: Treat others the way you hope others treat you; stay kind; stay strong in your faith. This is what people need to follow,” he said.

Shen Yun Global Company at a packed house at the Duke Energy Center for the Arts – Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg, Florida, on May 5. The company presented four performances in St. Petersburg May 3–5. (The Epoch Times)

Shen Yun World Company at the Metropol Theater Bremen in Bremen, Germany, on May 2. The company presented three performances in Bremen April 30–May 2. Tickets for all three performances were sold out in advance. (The Epoch Times)

“My Greatest Respect”

Dieter Burdenski at the Shen Yun performance in Bremen on May 2 (The Epoch Times)

Dieter Burdenski, renowned former professional soccer player, saw Shen Yun in Bremen on May 2.

“The artistic and sporting achievements on offer are unique. You can only understand that if you have done something like that professionally yourself,” said Mr. Burdenski.

“I know what it means to always be in that fitness, to be in the choreography, to make few mistakes. And you could see that today, how consistent and how good they were. The athletic performance was perfectly matched with the choreography. It was very consistent. My greatest respect,” he said.

What he found particularly striking was how well the artists harmonized with one another. “This commonality and harmony were impressive. There’s not just one person, but nine or twelve people on stage at the same time. That’s not easy to do, especially with so many people and yet always looks so great – compliments.”

He knows China personally very well, as he has been there several times and also maintains personal relationships there. “I like the food and the culture. The music is calming. There’s something about it that makes you calm down and calm down,” he said.

“Tradition is very important because it is our past. We must respect culture highly. We always live in a modern age in which new thoughts and ideas arise every ten or twenty years. But the past and the culture are very, very important; we must never forget them.

“I saw a lot of traditional values here, like respect and the way you treat each other, how children should be towards their parents. It’s a great pleasure.

“The artists have a very big task to present Chinese culture and music. This is important – regardless of politics – and a very important contribution to Chinese culture. It is important for Germany and the world to know what China’s culture is like.

“I think no one else in Europe can come close to implementing what is shown here by the people involved in all areas such as music, choreography, optics. Why are so many people coming and why is it sold out? Just because it’s so good,” Mr. Burdenski said.

Shen Yun New Era Company at the Palais des Congrès de Paris in Paris, France, on May 5. The company presented its third and last round of performances in Paris May 2–5. Since February, the company has presented a total of 17 performances in Paris, all to packed houses. (The Epoch Times)

“Uninterrupted Joy the Entire Time”

Frédérik-Karel Canoy at the Shen Yun performance in Paris on May 4 (NTD Television)

Attorney Frédérik-Karel Canoy saw Shen Yun in Paris on May 4.

“My feeling is uninterrupted joy the entire time, obtaining new knowledge, and brand new discoveries,” Mr. Canoy said.

“I don’t think there’s another performance that’s similar to Shen Yun. I feel great, truly,” he said.

Shen Yun International Company at the Teatro Bradesco in São Paulo, Brazil, on May 5. The company presented ten performances in São Paulo April 26–May 5, all to packed houses. (The Epoch Times)

“This Show Spreads Happiness”

Célia Leão and her nephew, Lucas, at the Shen Yun performance in São Paulo on May 5 (The Epoch Times)

Célia Leão, secretary of education for the municipality of Jaguariúna and former congresswoman, saw Shen Yun in São Paulo with her nephew on May 5.

“I’ll share an absolute truth. They say only God is perfect, but this performance is nearing that level of perfection,” said Ms. Leão.

“It’s incredibly beautiful, delicate, gentle, yet powerfully executed and bold. The spectacle convinces us that anything is possible,” she said.

She also wanted to extend her compliments to Shen Yun’s Artistic Director. “The director is undoubtedly more than just enlightened; blessed. He’s focused, pursues his beliefs with vigor, and is committed to learning and growing,” said Ms. Leão.

From her seat, Ms. Leão and her nephew could see the stage very clearly. She was impressed with the attention of the dancers to the smallest detail.

“The way they dance, their muscular control, their expressions, every little detail is visible from my vantage point. I’m deeply impressed and delighted to have had the chance to see it. It’s an experience that will stay with me forever,” said Ms. Leão.

“The dancers are perfect. You can see it in their expressions, their limbs, their movements—they perform with passion,” she praised.

She also shared her great appreciation for Shen Yun’s musicians. “The orchestra touches the soul, and the musicians simply don’t make mistakes! They don’t miss a single note in a [two] hour-long performance. It’s a profound harmony of soul, body, mind, and heart. The orchestra is simply fantastic, truly fantastic,” remarked Ms. Leão.

“They should be allowed to perform everywhere because life is for everyone, and freedom is essential to life. Everyone deserves happiness, and this show spreads happiness. You can see it in the audience—families, the young, and the elderly—all enjoying [Shen Yun],” she said.

She said of Shen Yun’s depiction of the CCP’s crime of forced organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners, “It’s regrettable... They forbid what is essential to every human being. Without freedom, one cannot claim to live life to the fullest. I am deeply saddened that such difficulties still exist in the world.”

Regarding Shen Yun’s backdrop, Ms. Leão said, “Those visuals were impressive. The way the wind moves through the plants—all of it! You can’t grasp [so much beauty] with how fast the show goes. I’d love to linger on each image for at least five or 10 minutes to absorb and remember every detail! It’s all so gorgeous and magnificent.”

Group of Thirty: “Harmony and Peace”

Marcio Alexandre Germano (center), Ana Maria Spagnol Trevisol, and a group of friends at the Shen Yun performance in São Paulo on May 4 (The Epoch Times)

Marcio Alexandre Germano is the owner of a travel agency. He and a group of friends saw Shen Yun in São Paulo on May 4.

“We have thirty people and we’re all friends. We’re from different cities in the countryside of São Paulo, which are two hours from here. We formed a group to come see Shen Yun!” Mr. Germano said.

“In our discussion, we found that everyone had the same view: [Shen Yun’s] uniqueness is its harmony and peace. We were deeply fascinated and completely charmed by the performance!” he said.

For more information about performance times, locations, and tickets, please visit www.shenyun.com.