PORTLAND—Bill Brown, attorney, and wife Tina were in attendance for Shen Yun’s opening night performance at Portland’s Keller Auditorium on April 2.
“This was absolutely spectacular,” said Mrs. Brown. “The most beautifully choreographed production I’ve ever seen in my life.”
According to the Shen Yun website, “Through the universal language of music and dance, Shen Yun weaves a wondrous tapestry of heavenly realms, ancient legends, and modern heroic tales, taking you on a journey through 5,000 years of Chinese culture. Its stunning beauty and tremendous energy leave audiences uplifted and inspired.”
“The dancing is extraordinary, and the message was beautiful,” Mrs. Brown added. “I would love to learn to walk like that—they fly. It was beautiful, and I hope we can get our grandchildren to come.”
Mr. Brown was especially struck by the communist regime’s brutal persecution of the spiritual practice Falun Gong. “This goes back a long ways, the persecution,” he said.
Since 1999, the communist regime has focused its powers and resources on a ruthless and systematic campaign against Falun Gong practitioners in an attempt to eradicate the group. But Falun Gong practitioners have held firm to their beliefs and have continued to expose the regime’s countless injustices through peaceful means.
“But, this movement was started in 1992,” added Mrs. Brown. “I did not realize that it was being persecuted. I thought religion in China had opened up more. I didn’t realize it was being persecuted, which is tragic.”
Principles such as benevolence and justice, propriety and wisdom, respect for the heavens, and divine retribution all come to life during a Shen Yun performance.
Mrs. Brown explained that such steadfast positivity displayed through Shen Yun serves as a guiding light for the future.
“We need more of that message in this world,” she said. “In the Middle East, between people here in America—We need it all over.”
“The message about tolerance, compassion, justice, and peace, peaceful resistance—it was beautiful,” she concluded. “The message was beautiful.”
With reporting by Nataly Teplitsky and Michael Fitzgerald
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 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.
