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Named a Woman of Influence by the Indianapolis Business Journal in 2009, in her role as president has redesigned the hospital programs to fit the needs of the organization and the people it serves. She raised more than $10 million to build the Recovery Center, an addition to the hospital. According to the academy’s website, as a founder and president of Hope Academy, Indiana's first charter high school for students in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction, Ms. Cross helps at-risk students graduate from high school.
She said she was greatly inspired by Shen Yun’s artists. “The dances each are very difficult, and yet everybody in the dance seems to be doing it so perfectly. Each performer is magnificent. Usually you have one performer [who] is great … now you have a whole group of them in front of us. It’s very, very wonderful!”
The dancers she is talking about perform classical Chinese dance, one of the elaborately expressively dance systems in the world, a dance form which Shen Yun specializes in.
Visibly moved by the performance, Ms. Cross said, “It’s all been fantastic—the color, the costumes, the beauty of the dance!”
Ms. Cross added that she learned a great deal about classical Chinese culture by watching the show. “It’s more than I expected. I like that we’re learning about the history. We’re going back to the early dynasties of China, and now I know we’ll be going a little bit into the more present time, but I’m learning about the history. I’m enjoying the dance. I’m loving the music, it’s just magnificent.”
She concluded by saying, “I am enjoying it very much! I appreciate being here.”
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
