HOUSTON—Texas State Rep. Steve Toth and his wife Babette attended Shen Yun’s evening show at the Jones Hall for the Performing Arts on Dec. 29.
It was the couple’s first time seeing
Shen Yun, but it won’t be their last.
“We’ll be back next year,” Rep. Toth exclaimed. “I just loved all of it. It showed the beauty of China and what Marxism had tried to destroy. [Shen Yun] is keeping it alive, which is beautiful.”
Shen Yun Performing Arts is the world’s top
classical Chinese dance and music company. Presenting a brand-new set of programs each year, the company has been delighting audiences around the world since 2006.
In the decades since the communist regime seized power, Chinese culture was forced to the brink of extinction. The New York-based artists are now seeking to revive China’s 5,000 years of
divinely inspired culture and showcase to the world the beauty of China before communism.
Mrs. Toth thought the show’s presentation was very creative.
“It was really amazing coordination between the dancers,
the musicians, and the screen. The technology is really precise and right on cue,” she expressed. “It was wonderful.”
According to its website, Shen Yun’s patented 3D digital technology works together with the performers to “extend the stage to infinite realms” and brings “storytelling without limits” to its audience.
The couple thought one of the most special and moving moments in the show was Shen Yun’s story-dance piece depicting the Chinese Communist Party’s persecution of
Falun Gong—a peaceful meditation practice of the Buddhist tradition.
“[Shen Yun] has a lot of hope. They’re not giving in. They’re still searching and not squelching that spirit,” Mrs. Toth said.
Referring to the company’s effort to raise awareness about human rights issues in modern-day China, Rep. Toth said it was “very powerful” and proof that “communism cannot kill beauty.”
“Marxism tries to bring atheism to erase the divine. For me,
Shen Yun is inspiring because we’re trying to eliminate critical race theory and the lies of Marxism in America. I thought about what [
communism] is doing to China and thought, ‘Why are we allowing it here in the United States?’” he said.
“[Persecution] is what Marxism always brings everywhere it’s tried. So, I thought about these young people up on the stage—maybe they can teach our young people here in the United States a thing or two about what communism will bring to America.”
Reporting by Sarah Yu and Jennifer Tseng.
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