ORLANDO, Fla.—Retired Army Lt. Col. Peter Kells gave Shen Yun tickets to his wife, Pat Kells, for Christmas. The couple saw the Shen Yun International Company on Jan. 17 at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre.
Mrs. Kells said the performance was “just absolutely beautiful—the message that they’re bringing, the serenity, compassion, love.”
The emotional quality of the show evoked compassion and spirituality, in her opinion. She said the song lyrics made her think of the universal human yearning for peace: “out of the busyness of life, this and that, seeking one thing, and that is just a good life, peace, not riches or anything.”
“Chinese culture has spawned a rich and profound system of values,” according to the Shen Yun website. “The concepts of ’man and nature must be in balance,‘ ’respect the heavens to know one’s destiny,’ and the five cardinal virtues of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and faithfulness … are all products of these three religions’ teachings,” meaning Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism.
Mrs. Kells, a minister who also served in the Army, said that to her, benevolence and compassion means “love for one another. ...” And if more people would love one another, the world would be better, she said.
She said the gestures and expressions of the artists conveyed a sense of kindness. “That comes out … in their dancing and what they’re portraying by their dancing and their hand movements, and so I’m enjoying it.”
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
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