WASHINGTON, D.C.—Greg Scarlatoiu, president and CEO of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, saw a different vision of China in Shen Yun Performing Arts.
“It’s pre-communist China. It’s ancient China. It’s a China of thousands and thousands of years. So, it’s a different version that’s viewed as a threat by the CCP [Chinese Communist Party],” Mr. Scarlatoiu said after seeing the
Shen Yun for the first time at the Kennedy Center on Feb. 25.
“It was a very dynamic show,” he said. “The artistic expression made perfect sense. I could perfectly understand the story, be part of the story, be immersed into the story. It was very enjoyable.”
New York-based Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance company, yet not allowed to perform in China.
Through
music and
dance, Shen Yun aims to revive 5,000 years of Chinese civilization, sharing with audiences the beauty of China before communism.
“I think that this very harmonious blend of dance, music, choreography, poetry is very pleasing to the eyes and the ears,” he said. “It’s also very compelling. It’s a very expressive and compelling form of art.”
As a human rights advocate, Mr. Scarlatoiu was well aware of the crimes against humanity the Chinese communist regime is responsible for and familiar with the workings of totalitarian regimes such as those of North Korea and communist China.
Seeing the performance, he understood why the CCP was exerting “great pressure, like to Shen Yun, all over the world, pretty much wherever China has influence.”
Since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006, the CCP has tried to block its performances. On opening day in Washington, a
bomb threat hoax was called into the theater, and Shen Yun has stated it believed the CCP is behind what they revealed was only the latest in a long series of harassment incidents.
Mr. Scarlatoiu pointed out that Shen Yun not only revives the divinely inspired
culture the CCP has tried to erase over its entire 75-year rule, but it performs stories that touch on the regime’s religious persecution.
“The CCP is a very serious human rights violator, committing crimes against humanity, committing genocide, committing grave crimes against Falun Gong believers, against Uyghurs, against North Koreans who get forcibly repatriated to North Korea. So, it’s truly a human rights nightmare. And I think that
Shen Yun art does focus attention on all of those aspects, and it’s very important,” Mr. Scarlatoiu said.
“It’s a very important form of artistic expression that can tell the very compelling and tragic story of human rights violations in China.”
Mr. Scarlatoiu said Shen Yun’s mission was “a very important endeavor.”
“It’s very important because this is the very identity of the Chinese people. The history, culture, civilization, identity of this ancient nation and civilization is not defined by the CCP. It’s defined by those 5,000 years of
history and civilization,” he said.
Reporting by Frank Liang and Catherine Yang.
