Shen Yun Performing Arts took to the stage for five sold-out shows in Purchase, New York, from April 18 to 21, taking theatergoers on a journey through China’s 5,000 years of divinely inspired culture. The company performs with a mission: to rekindle China’s traditions, values, and culture from before communism.
Dr. Howard Jan Chavis, a psychiatrist, said: “It’s profound, that’s my sense of it. And that’s what this show captures and shares with people. So the traditional Chinese culture is so incredibly beautiful and powerful. There’s no question about that, that it has the capacity and the power to do that because it connects people with their depths.”
Stephen Paduano, owner of Paduano Investments, said: “I think the mission has to be done. You’ve got to keep going, no matter how hard it is, no matter how daunting it is. I think people will slowly start to wake up and realize what you’re trying to do.”
Gregory Garone, former director of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, said: “I wish it could be brought out and we see that side of the Chinese people. The history, the thousands of years of the music, of the dance, it’s just phenomenal. And I think that should be shown to all people as being really what China is about.”
Ivan Rana, a filmmaker, said: “I think it’s great. Culture is great. We don’t want to lose it, we want to stick with it and pass it on to the next generation. So yes, definitely. Culture is great and it should continue and carry on.”
Through the medium of classical Chinese dance and music, Shen Yun’s performances also embrace themes of spirituality. Those beliefs are found at the core of traditional Chinese culture.
Dr. Duraid Sahawneh, president of the Ninth District Dental Association, said: “I like the portion where he’s talking about the atheists and evolution is the devil’s doctrine. And that God returned to the world for peace and for eternal life … He shall come back, of course he will come back. We will have him return to this world. To have peace on Earth.”
Mr. Paduano added: “I do understand that we’re our own worst enemies. And if we just let our God or whatever it is, just lead us and not get so tied up in this materialistic world, that’s the way to go.”
Shen Yun will next perform at The Palace Theatre in Stamford, Connecticut, from May 9 to 12.
NTD News, Purchase, New York
