VIENNA, Austria—Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company presented its colorful and unique opening performance at the Wiener Stadthalle on March 1.
The mission of Shen Yun is to revive China’s 5,000 years of divinely inspired culture through the universal language of music and dance, states the company’s website.
Ms. Maria Ranacher, a restorer of paintings and other art objects, is also involved in the conservation of Austria’s cultural heritage.
Ms. Ranacher had looked forward to watching the show since the day she held the tickets in her hands.
“I’m deeply touched to see the revival of the ancient Chinese culture, the skill of the dancers, the elegance and the spiritual content in the show,”
she said.
There are scenes in the show that talk of Falun Dafa, a Chinese spiritual practice that was taught in China since the early 1990s but has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.
“The message brought by the show about Falun Dafa, also called Falun Gong, was very impressive. I do know about the repression of religion and freedom in China,” said Ms. Ranacher.
The spiritual message touched a chord in Ms. Ranacher’s heart. “The marvellous scene that shows the connection between heaven and earth [saying] that we can be certain that the divine will watch over us when we are on earth, touched me deeply. The connection between heaven and earth was represented exceptionally well by the artists.”
Then moving on to talk about spirituality, she said, “I was very impressed with the spiritual content and that the people, despite the suffering, hold strong in their belief. In my opinion, it is of the greatest importance also for us in the West that we never forget the connection between heaven and earth.”
Relating what she had seen to her profession, Ms. Ranacher said, “It is of utmost importance to me personally that culture and art are kept alive and not be destroyed by today’s commercialization.”
Lastly she mentioned Shen Yun’s digitally animated backdrops. The way advanced technology was used to project scenes from China’s diverse regions and dynasties was very effective, said Ms. Ranacher.
“The use of backdrops to enhance the scenes was very impressive,” she said.
With reporting by NTD Television.
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
The Epoch Times publishes in 35
countries and in 21 languages. Subscribe to our e-newsletter.
