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The mayor of Sydney's Hornsby Council says he has always had an interest in Chinese history and culture and has read many books on the subject.
"It’s such a long and rich history. There is just so much to be said. It would take a lifetime to really learn most of it—that’s for sure," he said.
But after watching the two-hour performance of Shen Yun he said he saw "quite a few snapshots of Chinese history." He was impressed with the story-telling of each performance and the professionalism of the show.
"Excellent artistic skill that’s been shown by all the artists. The choreography, the whole organisation. A very professional show, a great insight into Chinese culture."
Mr. Berman became Hornsby Shire Council's first popularly elected mayor at the elections held in 2004. He was subsequently re-elected in 2008 with an increased margin. He has previously worked for members of parliament and ministers at a state and Federal level.
Having a vast experience in government work, he was not surprised that the Chinese Embassy attempted to discourage government officials from seeing Shen Yun. Shen Yun Performing Arts Company is based in New York and has no affiliation with mainland China. Shen Yun's mission is to revive the spirit of traditional Chinese culture.
Mr. Berman said he has not personally received any letters from the Chinese consulate, but has heard of such correspondence being sent to other officials.
He said that he would question such tactics, had he received the letters.
"I don’t see any harm with what’s on tonight. I’m glad I am here to see the great artistic skill that’s on display," he said.
Mr. Berman said that the arts have a special role to play in expressing information freely.
"That’s the role of the arts in every culture. The role of the arts is to tell a story about the culture, to raise questions, to tell us things we don’t already know. If you don’t have the arts, life is very dull. And that applies to any country, any culture. We all need the arts. The arts do play a very important role."
Reporting by NTD Television and Sonya Bryskine.
Shen Yun Performing Arts International Company will perform at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre through to Feb. 23. Next stop is Melbourne, March 1-6. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
