JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—“We are very honored to be able to be here, and we wish we could see this more often in Jacksonville,” Dr. Mihaela Ionescu said. She and Dr. Mark Spatola, physicians at Orange Park Medical Center, had just seen Shen Yun’s May 10 performance at the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts.

“Showing the classical Chinese culture is wonderful,” said Dr. Mark Spatola, a neurosurgeon.

Dr. Ionescu underscored Dr. Spatola’s view. “Preserving the old values and emphasizing what is right and beautiful in life makes a big difference,” she said.

The performance “keeps our hopes up, keeps our values up, and gives us a reason to hope for a better future,” she said.

Speaking during intermission, Dr. Ionescu said she was most impressed with the dance scene in which “the meditation was interrupted by the dark forces of communist dictatorship.”

She was referring to The Steadfast Lotus, which tells a contemporary story of good versus evil. In the dance, police seize a mother for practicing Falun Dafa (also called Falun Gong), a peaceful meditation practice that the Chinese regime has severely persecuted since 1999. The core principles of the practice are truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance.

The program book says of this story-based dance, “In a plot that mirrors countless present-day stories of Chinese families torn apart, the daughter endures tribulations searching for her mother, until her steadfast faith gives her newfound hope.”

“Individual choice for choosing your own values is very important and should be carried on,” Dr. Ionescu said.

Dr. Spatola agreed and also felt that The Steadfast Lotus was a most impressive dance.

Reporting by Edie Bassen and Louise Rothman

New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit Shen Yun Performing Arts.

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.