ST. LOUIS—A special Missouri family came away impressed by the Shen Yun Performing Arts show at the Bezemes Family Theater in St. Louis on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 13.
Kevin and Cecilia Sprecher live in the St. Louis area with their 7-year-old daughter who was adopted from China. They felt the show was excellent, with refreshing aspects.
“I thought it was wonderful,” Mr. Sprecher, an administrator at a St. Louis medical center, exclaimed.
He felt that the spiritual messages in the Shen Yun show were deftly executed. “I can understand for the freedoms of China—for them to be able to express what they believe is an important freedom we take for granted here. It’s nice to see a company that’s trying to bring that to light.”
The show, performed by the Shen Yun International Company based in New York, brings 5,000 years of authentic Chinese culture to audiences globally, reviving a lost culture that had been suppressed over the last 50-some years of Chinese communist rule.
Two dances in the performance portray Chinese people persecuted for their beliefs, a concept that is hard to fathom for many Americans.
Mr. Sprecher thought that the message was an important one, and the execution was terrific. He said, “It’s subtle but it was still a good way to express how [they] feel about not having that freedom [of belief] easily, readily available.”
Using artistic dance as a medium helped, he felt. “I think it’s an easier way to show it to an audience, and easier for them to see it.”
The Sprechers’ daughter, Aanika, was adopted from China, and Mr. Sprecher recounted the time when he went and picked her up from China.
“Even when we saw people in the streets [in China], they’re not as readily open to express what they believed in,” he added. “And that’s a tragedy that they have that kind of oppression, and a lot of people don’t know about it.”
Preserving Chinese Culture
As for authentic Chinese performing arts, the family was glad to see them preserved.
Mr. Sprecher said, “To adhere to the ancient Chinese culture, that’s great to see. To perpetuate that kind of dance-it could be lost over time.”
“It’s nice for some folks to really try to remain true to that,” he added.
Saturday was the eve of the Lunar New Year, a time for Asian people to reconnect with their family and loved ones, and celebrate the coming of a new year. For the Sprecher family and their Chinese daughter, the connection with her Chinese heritage is something they wish to maintain.
“We'll be able to remind her of what we saw over the next few days, weeks, months, and remind her about what she saw and draw contrast about what she understands and knows about the culture of China,” Mr. Sprecher said.
“We’re happy to have her see these sorts of things.”
With reporting by Valerie Avore.
Shen Yun Performing Arts International Company’s last performance for this season in St. Louis is Saturday evening, Feb. 13.
For more information, please visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
