WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.—“I thought it was very inspirational,” Mr. Ira Hochman said of Shen Yun’s April 30 performance at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts.
“I think the performances were incredible. The scenery was beautiful. It was very, very touching and warm. Very inspirational. Very heartfelt,” said Mr. Hochman, who retired from teaching marketing at what used to be the City University in New York.
It was the first time Mr. Hochman and his wife, Nancy Hochman, had seen Shen Yun Performing Arts, which played to a full house for both West Palm Beach engagements. “It was very, very heartwarming. We both thought it was fabulous,” Mr. Hochman said.
“I thought the show was very beautiful,” Mrs. Hochman said. “I think many Western people who go to China don’t see the other side of China, where people are repressed and don’t have the same human rights that we have here in the United States. It is ruled by the Communist Party and there are no freedoms as we know them here,” she said.
According to the Shen Yun website, “Over its past 60 years of rule, the communist regime has treated traditional Chinese values—centered on the idea of harmony between heaven and earth—as a threat to its existence.
“And in its systematic campaigns like the Cultural Revolution, it has uprooted traditional beliefs and destroyed ancient treasures—bringing traditional 5,000 years of civilization to the brink of extinction,” the website states.
Shen Yun was formed in 2006 with the aim of bringing back China’s true, divinely inspired culture and its ancient traditions through the performing arts. Based in New York, the company enjoys artistic freedom.
Mr. Hochman also appreciated that the performance touched upon the struggles that people are going through in China. It is a universal struggle between good and evil and was portrayed by two story-based dances.
Mr. Hochman, who lives in Florida now, said that his son-in-law in New York is Chinese. He said that when he goes back to New York, “I’m going to have to tell them to … see a magnificent show. I’m going to recommend it to all my friends in New York and everybody else here and my daughter in Chicago, and the rest of the country.”
The retired marketing professor appreciated “all the wonderful things that [were done] here to promote the wonderful show.”
Reporting by Elaine Zhang and Louise Rothman
The final Florida performance of Shen Yun’s 2012–2013 world tour will be in Melbourne, May 2, at the King Center for the Performing Arts.
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.
