BORDEAUX, France—On Sunday, Jan. 26, Serge Wilkins attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at Bordeaux’s Arkea Arena for the second time, accompanied by three of his granddaughters.
Mr. Wilkins is the founder of the Wilkins Embalming and E-learning Academy. This trainer taught thanatopraxy in a number of countries before setting up his own training organization in France.
Shen Yun is “always sensational, always revealing!“ said Mr. Wilkins. ”It’s this symbolism that keeps coming back, that gives us hope and reminds us of what we have to do, to be kind to others and also charitable. It’s the key to happiness. And that’s good. It puts us back on the right track.”
Mr. Wilkins believes it’s beneficial for children to attend Shen Yun because “they mostly see the colors, the performance. But it’s important because there’s a message behind it. I think it needs to be shown when they’re very young because when we’re older, it might be too late to set us straight.”
The message conveyed by Shen Yun is, for the teacher, very simple: “Kindness, love! Behave well! Be simple! Humility is important. That’s it! To act in the shadows, as we’ve seen in different stories.”
Like many spectators, the company director was overcome by emotion.
“It’s really powerful,“ he said. ”The emotions are there, and even at one point, you could feel the emotions starting to rise because you’re caught up in the game and it’s really great, really sensational.”
The values and principles conveyed in Shen Yun are, for him, extremely formative.
Shen Yun “brings us back up to date in some way, it reminds us of what we need to do,“ he said. ”Because all too often, with the life we lead, we forget these values, and it’s good to have a reminder, a jab in the arm ... It feels good!”
The thanatopractor was particularly moved by Shen Yun’s finale, which “reminds us precisely what is, and where we come from too.”
He said the performance came full circle after 5,000 years, sharing his own interpretation.
“Because at the very beginning ... it shows us precisely all these divinities who arrived on Earth ... to wash away original sin and return to our source, that’s the work we have to do on ourselves,” he said.
Mr. Willkins said he experienced exceptional sensations throughout the performance.
“You can feel it just during the show. You have these sensations emanating from the show. It’s very strong,“ he said. ”You can feel them, and that makes you stronger. After a show like that, I’ve recharged my batteries, and I feel even better.”
“Knowing that [Shen Yun] now has eight companies working simultaneously all over the planet—that’s great!” he said, wishing the artists the best.
