NEW YORK—With a New York State Assembly proclamation in hand, Assembly Member Eric A. Stevenson came to congratulate Shen Yun Performing Arts for their unique display of Classical Chinese Dance, following the company’s Friday evening performance at Lincoln Center.
“Shen Yun seeks to present the true culture of China’s 5,000-year old civilization, which has sadly been decimated by decades of communist rule in modern-day China,” reads the Proclamation.
It continues: “No other art form in the world boasts such strong expressive qualities and diversity of technique as Classical Chinese dance.”
Though dance and music, Shen Yun expresses aspects of China’s rich history from the past to the present.
“For those who see the show and understand the show, and the meaning behind the show, and to see the greatness of it—it is well deserving of a proclamation!” said Mr. Stevenson after the Friday performance. “And beyond that, it is deserving of having the persecution stopped of these people of Falun Dafa.”
As a staunch defender of human rights, Mr. Stevenson has been a vocal critic of the communist regime’s persecution of Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong. Some of the pieces in the Shen Yun performances depict the current persecution of the meditation discipline, which is still banned in China by the communist regime.
For Mr. Stevenson, tonight’s show was a wake-up call to help stop the persecution of Falun Gong, and he urged others to help the cause. Mr. Stevenson joked that President Obama should have visited the Lincoln Center instead of the New York Sheraton Hotel on Thursday night.
“They’re peaceful people [Falun Dafa adherents] and the show tonight just proves that. We encourage [President Obama] to come one day and to see the show,” Mr. Stevenson said. He hopes that Obama can do more to support the Chinese community, including Falun Dafa practitioners, since “they are citizens and they’re American.”
For Mr. Stevenson, stopping the persecution against Falun Dafa practitioners equates to simply protecting the rights and freedoms of the American people.
The Assemblyman was also hosting guests he brought to the theater, including Michael Adeniyi, President of the Nigerian Community in New York City.
Mr. Adeniyi said he felt Shen Yun not only speaks to the Chinese community, but it “transcends all cultures.”
“The show was spectacular, incredible ... ,” Adeyini said, pausing, momentarily speechless. Then he added, “The discipline, the precision, the accuracy, the synchronization—everything was so marvelous!”
According to Mr. Stevenson, audiences who see Shen Yun will surely understand the need for stopping the persecution of Falun Gong.
“After seeing the show, how could anybody in their right mind imagine persecution of such people?” Stevenson asked.
The Assemblyman connected his willingness to help stop this persecution with the last dance of the performance, titled The Opening of Heaven’s Gates. Describing the Heaven’s Gates as a destination all people might aspire to, Stevenson made the clear distinction that those involved in the persecution won’t make the cut.
“If they want to be part of those people entering the Heaven’s Gates, they need to stop the persecution.”
Reporting by Pamela Tsai and Kristina Skorbach.
Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company will perform at Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater in New York City, June 23-26. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
