(Clearwisdom.net) SYDNEY--Joon, a Korean painter, was swept into the ancient world of China's divine culture presented by Shen Yun Performing Arts at Sydney's Big Top Theatre, on May 9, 2010. "Oh it's beautiful and colorful and ... I enjoyed the dancing," the artist said.

Invited by friends, Joon was seeing Shen Yun for the very first time and he recognized that his own Korean culture came from Chinese culture. "Some parts are very similar, dancing is very similar," he said. Joon said he could understand and read Chinese enough to pick out spiritual connotations conveyed throughout by the artists, dancers, musicians and vocalists alike, and spoke of a deep respect he held for Chinese culture. "Oh yes it's beautiful, Chinese culture is beautiful," he said.

In Korea there are many beliefs, including Buddhist, Christian and Muslim, and Joon said of the Shen Yun artists, "They are showing something you can understand."

This sentiment was shared by another in the audience, Kerrie, who works for the Anglican church. "I loved it, I loved every bit of it, I love the athletic dancing, I love the stories behind the dancing, I thought the costumes were outstanding, I had a great night. It was really good." Kerrie decided to see the show with her husband, after seeing advertising for the show.

"We just decided we'd come because we thought it looked so interesting and something different, and we weren't disappointed. It was a really, really good night." Kerrie had never seen a show like Shen Yun that brings to life ancient China to the present, in classical Chinese dance, music and song, through story-based dance in beloved legends, folk tales, and current stories.

Kerrie said that growing up with a religious background, she was happy to see China's divinely-inspired culture "coming through in what the people believe in and what they fight for and stand up for, so it was a really good experience. I really enjoyed it."

Also in the audience was singer Agostino Gaeta, a tenor, who enjoyed the show. Mr. Gaeto said he respected every culture of the world, including his own Italian culture, and because of that he accepted Shen Yun's portrayal highlighting the present oppression of the ancient Falun Dafa (Falun Gong), a self improvement system, in China today. "I do go along with the fact that the people have got the right to choose," he said.

"It was a beautiful show, and it really touched my heart"

Ellen Marie, a student at Hillsong International Leadership College, also attended the opening performance. She said, "It was a beautiful show, and it really touched my heart. I really loved the songs because it really touched my heart, and I also loved the Miao dance because it was lively."

There were so many facets of the performances that Ellen Marie appreciated. "The history, the culture, the heart of China. It's hard to just pick out one moment because I think the whole show was very important."

Ellen Marie was also touched by the performances depicting the persecution of Falun Dafa. "From the whole Shen Yun experience I have learned that many people, I have known that Christians have been persecuted in China, but I didn't know that there were so many like other people that were persecuted, and I heard that there were like 100 million people that had to stop doing what they were doing."

She said she felt that when some people saw Shen Yun they would be able "to really feel the heart of China and to really feel the people in it, and the story they are telling. If you really feel the story it's hard to not let it connect with you."

Ellen Marie at the Big Top Theatre at Luna Park

Sources:

http://theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/35098/
http://theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/35053/