Councilman Walter Hunt brought his wife, health care administrator Cathy Hunt, to see the New York-based Shen Yun on Feb. 18. She said, with a big smile: “Well it was incredible, it was just so delightful. It was very entertaining. I liked the variety of the dances. I had no idea what to expect so it was a surprise.” She said it left her in a pleasant mood, because “It was just so calm ... there was always a happy ending and there was the mystical and the spiritual.”
The couple met some of the artists at a reception after the show in the Andrew Jackson Hall of the Tennessee Performing Arts Center, (TPAC). Mr. Hunt said: “It was just really wonderful. It kind of brought back a lot of thoughts and it’s particularly sad that you can’t see this quality show in China. I understood why it’s such a great show. It’s a shame because it is such a great quality show.”
Shen Yun intends to revive China’s authentic cultural heritage, after the communist regime tried to suppress and destroy it, according to its website.
The artists hope to visit mainland China in the future. They have performed in Taiwan to great acclaim. A sold out series of performances in Hong Kong was cancelled last year, when regime officials apparently pressured Hong Kong into denying visas for key staff members.
‘Valentine’s Gift ’Worth a million bucks’’
Vanderbilt University staff member Janet Skip and her husband Ken, a salesman, got tickets to celebrate Valentine’s day. She said it was the best Valentine’s present they had ever had. “Its heart warming, well worth any money you pay for it.“ She said her husband said it was “worth a million bucks.”
Mr. and Mrs. Skip sat in the front row on Feb. 19, and were among the first to rise for the standing ovation. During the erhu (two stringed Chinese violin) solo, Mr. Skip made an emphatic “um-hmm!” sound of passionate appreciation. Afterwards, Mrs. Skip asked, “Were we too loud?” in their enthusiasm. They were not too loud, just part of an emotional and responsive audience. She said she could watch it over and over again.
Nashville is extremely rich in the arts, and the people of Nashville support the arts. Many people there are musical or fond of music. Streets are named for famous musicians. The levels of one parking deck were named for musicians and adorned with murals of singers. Hotels have pictures of musical instruments and songwriters in their lobbies.
Ladies in the audience wore sequined jackets, red satin dresses, embroidered dresses, and even traditional qipao, the close fitting Chinese sheath. An air of lively expectancy filled the lobby before both shows. On the last night, a young boy with curly blond hair stood on his seat in the front row, mouth slightly open, eyes wide, arm extended toward the stage.
With reporting by Irene Gao and Mary Silver
Shen Yun will give two performances in Memphis on Feb. 26. For more information, please visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org .
Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts.
