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WASHINGTON—Mr. Konopka, a Korean War veteran and former patent examiner, saw the seasons' first Shen Yun Performing Arts show at the Kennedy Center Opera House on August 25. He said he has always felt an affinity for Asian people. He joked that the affinity is so strong he might need to see a psychologist to understand it.
"I thought the show was marvelous. The dancing is fabulous."
He was impressed by the two dances about modern China.
"I was touched by those two pieces on the Falun Gong. One was how they tortured in China, and the other one is how that young lady through a dignity and kindness converted this terrible police representative to realize how good they are …" Mr. Konopka shared his inner thoughts.
In Dignity and Compassion, three policemen abuse a Falun Dafa prisoner of consious. One policeman is dismayed by the cruelty and sends the others away. He falls asleep and has a vision of his prisoner as a Bodhisattva, who shows him an unexpected mercy.
He said "I was emotionally moved by them, maybe because I already agreed in their direction. I think they’re being tormented for no reason." He said he knows he would be on the side of Falun Gong. "I am" a supporter of Falun Gong, he said.
Then, coming back to his thoughts about the rest of the show he said, "It was a great performance, and the artists were fabulous. The beauty of the dance, the music, everything, I enjoyed thoroughly."
The audience must have felt the same as Mr. Konopka. They honored the artists with frequent applause, cheers, and two curtain calls.
"Well, the dances that were just artistic made me feel like I was up in the clouds; the beautiful artistry," he said.
The show taught him something new, something he had not thought of or heard discussed before, he said.
"There was one thing [that was new to him]. In one of the scenes, they talked about a belief in life hereafter, and I didn’t know that was part of Chinese belief. I happen to be of Catholic background, and she talked about a life after this, I didn’t know that was part of Chinese culture, so that was a revelation to me." One of the dances is called Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution. It shows a miraculous vision of a good person receiving a beautiful reward.
Returning to the overall show, he said, "Some powerful songs they had. Those songs had some pretty powerful messages. Yeah, and they were all fabulous, and a lot of them seemed to be a mix of Asian and Western music."
For him it was amazing to hear an orchestra that combined Western and Eastern instruments.
"It was a great night," he said before heading home.
A six show run at the Kennedy Center Opera House from Aug. 26 to 30.
For more information please visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
