(Clearwisdom.net) Brisbane's Queensland Conservatorium Theatre is the proud host of the Shen Yun Performing Arts 2009 World Tour from April 9-12, 2009.
Producer: "Fantastic Singers! World-class!"
Ms. Mon Lay, a practising Buddhist, attended the show with her husband, Mr. Bathol, a producer and their young daughter. She excitedly told the reporter, "What a great performance. I love the dancing ... the dedication and the connection with Buddha. I think that was wonderful."
Ms. Mon Lay, a practising Buddhist, attended the show with her husband, Mr. Bathol, a producer and their young daughter
She was particularly touched by the performance, "Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution," saying, "You know how there were people persecuting them, and they still had this right faith and indestructible belief in what to believe in. And how the soul of the person is taken away, I think it is wonderful. I loved the end ... [to follow one's virtuous path]. ... We loved it."
Ms. Lay enjoyed the artistry of each dance performance. "It was a beautiful show. The performance was wonderful. We really loved the dancing. The dancing was particularly spectacular. The costumes were very colorful and the dancers performed with a lot of artistic skill," she said.
Ms. Lay thought the "Poet's Vision" of the drunken poet Li Bai "was really nice." "How many myths like that come back to the modern world and teach about history? It's lovely," she said.
Mr. Bathol knew a little about Chinese culture before seeing the Shen Yun but after the show he said, "It's nice to see a different perspective of Chinese culture. They were all so wonderful. I think the dancing was really the thing that captured my imagination. I really loved the color. The dancing was just superb. It was wonderful."
Commenting on the singers, he said, "They were wonderful voices. Really wonderful! Fantastic singers. World-class!"
Ambassador for Peace: "You Could Feel the Purity"
Ms. Caesar, a Maori New Zealander and an ambassador for peace with the New York-based Universal Peace Foundation, wasn't sure what to expect before the curtains opened, but after the show, she said, "it's all been so close to heaven. That's what it was for me--that we are all close to heaven, all of us."
Ms. Caesar, a Maori New Zealander and an ambassador for peace with the New York-based Universal Peace Foundation
She said, "I felt that my spiritual senses had been awakened. Now for a production to do that to me, it normally has to be a very cultural background, because my background is very cultural, and the effect of it tonight ... I felt was just what the world needs."
Ms. Caesar felt that Shen Yun plays an important cultural role in the world. "It plays an enormous role. It takes us back to the beginning of time, really. All indigenous nations have beautiful legends and culture. To have world peace, we need to revert back to our cultural and spiritual values, and this is what this production has done. It has given me the beautiful traditional values of the people of the great nation of China. It's bringing out messages in a very subtle way," she commented.
Speaking of the dances, she said, "They were fresh-faced. They were beautiful. What a shining example. I saw the values come out. And the dance routines, the costumes--it was all values there, and it brought tears to my eyes, and I thought, this is beautiful, this is what the world needs to bring back into people's lives. To have young people performing tonight and leading it--I was very impressed, very impressed, indeed."
Ms. Caesar said, "I'd love to support them [Shen Yun]. It's worthy. It's a very worthy cause. What a delightful group of young people. You know you could feel the purity. That's the world I'm trying to find. You could feel the purity in their own lives, and it came out in the performance, and that's what I felt. So I'm very happy to be here tonight. Heaven is waiting for all of us."
Shen Yun: Beautiful in Any Language
Queensland Multicultural Council's Vice-president Umesh Chandra was in attendance. "We try to understand and appreciate other cultures. The Chinese traditional art and culture, which existed for so long, and which is getting lost--the revival of that is very great to see, wonderful", he said.
Mr. Chandra, who is also a real estate agent and publisher of the Brisbane Indian Times, thought that the stories and the traditional values presented in the show were "inspirational." "The whole show--how it is presented, choreographed, the sound, lighting and the performers ... they're all so very well presented," he said.
Brisbane's Deputy Lord Mayor, Graham Quirk, also enjoyed the cultural experience. "The show has been a good display of Chinese history. It's been a very graceful performance ... and clearly there was a message there of hope", he commented.
Source: http://theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/15093/
http://theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/15082/
http://theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/15061/
Category: Shen Yun Performing Arts