NEW YORK—Steven Navarro, director of ING Capital LLC, came away from Shen Yun Performing Arts at Lincoln Center on Saturday touched by the true tales of persecution in modern China, yet uplifted by the hope that true Chinese culture is being preserved.
“I loved the show. I had no concept that it was going to be as emotional as it is. It was so well done,” said Mr. Navarro. “I would recommend it to anybody.”
He gave two reasons behind the emotions he felt.
“One, because it can’t be done in China,” said Mr. Navarro. The New York-based company revives 5,000 years of what the Chinese have always held to be a divinely-inspired culture.
The Shen Yun website explains that, “Over the past 60 years, this cultural treasure has been persecuted and co-opted by the Chinese Communist Party. It is outside of China that Shen Yun’s artistic creators have the ability to freely express themselves and their ancient culture.”
The second reason is the persecution of the spiritual practice Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, in China as depicted in some of the dances.
“It has taken place over the years for all different people, and the fact that it still exists is horrendous,” Mr. Navarro said.
It was not just the subject matter that evoked emotion for Mr. Navarro. He felt the performers put a lot of feeling into their dance, aware that they cannot perform in China, yet determined to continue spreading traditional Chinese culture and values throughout the world. “They still bring a tremendous amount of emotion to the performance,” he said.
Classical Chinese dance is at the nucleus of Shen Yun’s performances. “Through expression of bearing and form, beautiful dance movements bring out the inner meaning of intrinsic thoughts and feelings, reflecting the peculiarities of human nature, the standard for human conduct, moral concepts, mental state, one’s value system, and so on,” the company’s website says.
Susan Salo, a real estate investor and educator, accompanied Mr. Navarro to the performance.
“For this production to come and be all over the [United States] expresses a desire to let their ways help other countries,” Ms. Salo said.
She said Shen Yun is suited to any age group. “I think it’s a vision for the children of the future to become familiar with what goes on outside their own backyards. And I think that’s very healthy to unite, to get people together and understand one another.”
Promoting a diverse awareness to young children is important, Ms. Salo said. “Because they are our future.”
Mr. Navarro said, “As emotional as it is, you still walk away with a positive and uplifting feeling.”
“In the show, they win, but at the same time, that’s on a stage,” he said. “It’s very thought-provoking. When you leave, you really start to think about what was there and what it is and what it meant … .”
Reporting by Hannah Cai and Tara MacIsaac.
New York-based Shen Yun has three companies touring the world. Shen Yun Performing Arts Touring Company will perform at New York’s Lincoln Center through Jan. 15, and again April 18-22.
For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.
