FORT MYERS, Fla.—“We were overcome with emotion,” Peter Conley said of the soprano solo The True Meaning of Life. He and his wife, Lisa Conley, attended the Feb. 9 Shen Yun performance at The Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall.
Mr. Conley, executive director of ipCreate Inc., said he and his wife were both deeply touched by the piece. “We cried our hearts out—incredible,” he said.
The opening scene, Grand Descent of the Deities, also made an impression. He said that the orb of light in that scene moved him to say to his wife, “‘Honey, we are going to the light.’” “And then we went to the light,” he said.
Mrs. Conley, a student and a documentary filmmaker with Blue Trident Films, said the performance was phenomenal: “The costumes are beautiful. The choreography is unbelievable. And the storyline is very moving and spiritual.”
She said she found the theme of harmony between heaven, earth, and mankind—a traditional Chinese belief—very moving.
“I think about the oppression in China, and the inability of people to explore their own spirituality there,” she said. “The scene where the woman was meditating with her daughter was very moving.”
She was referring to The Steadfast Lotus. This dance tells the story of a mother and daughter who practice Falun Gong, the spiritual meditation discipline that the Chinese communist regime has subjected to severe persecution since 1999.
Police seize the mother for practicing Falun Gong. The story that unfolds reflects the plight of present-day Chinese families torn apart by the ongoing persecution, according to the program book.
“The whole show in general, and the progression of the show, is very enlightening,” Mrs. Conley said.
The couple said they would recommend Shen Yun to their friends and family. Mrs. Conley said she would tell them: “You have to see this show. It’s very educational and informative.”
“Absolutely beautiful,” Mr. Conley said.
Shen Yun Performing Arts will return to Florida in the spring with performances in West Palm Beach, Miami, and Sarasota in April and four performances in Jacksonville in May.
Reporting by Edie Bassen and Louise Rothman
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time. We have proudly covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
