(Minghui.org) The New York Times published a few articles on August 15 this year. The authors misused some biased comments from a few individuals who had left Shen Yun and held resentments and personal grudges to attack Shen Yun. I was deeply upset about those distortions, and would like to share some true stories about my son, who is with Shen Yun at the moment.
Family Persecuted by the CCP in China
Members of three generations in my family have suffered persecution at the hands of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) in China for practicing Falun Dafa, and one of them died as a result. Even those who didn’t practice Falun Dafa were also subjected to harassment and surveillance.
My son was no exception. When the police broke into our home to take us for detention, my four-year-old son was taken with us. It was very early in the morning and my son was still asleep. A large group of officers suddenly broke in. My son woke up in shock and started crying. While we were being dragged away by police, I turned around to see my son, who looked so little and scared amongst the vicious police.
Later, whenever it came to major holidays or anniversaries related to Falun Dafa, police and 610 Office agents would stay outside of our apartment building to monitor us. My young son always kept his head low when he walked past these people on his way to school or back home. He became very quiet and introverted in such an oppressive environment. He told me later that each time he came to the entrance of our building, he would worry if we had been taken away by the police.
My Son Was Admitted to Fei Tian Academy of the Arts
In those years, Falun Dafa practitioners still distributed discs of Shen Yun performances to people in China, and my son got to watch the beautiful shows, and he really wanted to join Shen Yun one day. We encouraged him to take some basic dance training to improve his flexibility. We told him that if he was admitted by Fei Tian Academy of the Arts, he would have an opportunity to join Shen Yun later on, and that Shen Yun would present the traditional Chinese culture bestowed by the divine, as well as exposing the CCP’s persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners.
My son went to school during the day and received dance training in the evening. His crotch area often looked purple due to vigorous stretching, but he persevered without any complaint of pain. He had a strong wish to attend Fei Tian school and even cried a few times for fear that he might not be able to go. He was very determined and practiced hard, and his wish came true when he was finally accepted by Fei Tian. Later, we also came to live in the U.S. and became free from the CCP’s persecution.
When our son first arrived in the U.S. he could not speak English, and it was pretty hard for him to adapt to a totally new learning environment at the beginning. However, the teachers and students at Fei Tian were very kind. With their help, my son soon settled in and overcame difficulties one after another in both academic studies and dance training. He was very happy and whenever he talked about Fei Tian and Shen Yun, he would say: “That’s my home.”
He made speedy progress at Fei Tian, and before long he was able to join Shen Yun as part of the practicum program. It was such a precious opportunity. My son cherished it very much, and he also shared with us many of his experiences on tours.
Experiences on Tour with Shen Yun
My son was very excited after he came back home from the first tour and told us about his experiences. “When the curtain was lifted, I was a bit nervous to see so many faces. Even though we also had a full house when we rehearsed in Fei Tian’s own theater, seeing so many audience members in the theater was completely different! As we were performing on the stage, I quickly calmed down. I was really impressed and greatly encouraged by the thunderous applause from the audience.”
During the tour in another year, one lead dancer was injured in the middle of the show and he had to pull out. They had to quickly rearrange the dance formation for the next dance. The company manager and the teacher only had time to tell them very quickly what to do before they went on the stage. As they were running onto the stage, a dancer said something to my son, but he didn’t quite get it due to the loud music from the orchestra.
They started to dance and the formation changed quickly from one pattern to another. My son noticed that in one sequence, the place for the injured dancer was empty. He was behind that line and wasn’t sure if he should step in the lead dancer’s place or stay where he was, and how he acted would also impact those behind him. “I was a bit panicked at that moment, but still clearheaded enough to make the right decision, and the dance went very well.”
We were very pleased to hear that the training at Fei Tian and the extensive stage experience from the practicum program with Shen Yun offer the young dancers such unique and wonderful opportunities to develop into professional performers much faster.
Positive Feedback from the Audience Members
My son also told us some touching stories about how deeply the audience members love Shen Yun. Once, after the show, a couple and their son, around six years old, were standing near the stage, saying they enjoyed the show very much and their son really wanted to meet Shen Yun performers.
My son walked over, and the little boy immediately recognized him and pointed out the particular role he played in a dance. The boy was very excited to see a Shen Yun performer off stage, and his parents were also very touched and they kept thanking my son for his performance.
My son was also very excited when he told us the story, “It’s amazing! Most Shen Yun dancers are Chinese and Westerners can’t really tell the difference in our looks. How could that little boy recognize which one of us played which role in a dance? It’s incredible!” We were also very touched by the story and felt the deep love of Shen Yun by the audience around the world and the positive energy and happiness Shen Yun left with them.
One other time, my son and his classmates took a stroll to a supermarket near the theatre. A few Asian-looking young people (could be tourists) came up to them and asked, “You look very upright and handsome. What do you do? You look so different to others.” My son and his classmates told them that they were from Shen Yun and that they would perform in the nearby theatre that evening. “Wow! We’ve long heard about Shen Yun. You guys do look very special!” They said they would definitely go to see the show, and said that they were very lucky to be able to watch Shen Yun.
Another time, they were traveling by air to perform in another city in the U.S. Just before the plane took off, the captain announced through the loudspeaker: “Today, we have Shen Yun performers onboard our flight, and will travel with us. Let’s give them a warm welcome!” Instantly, all the passengers applauded excitedly. I asked my son how he felt at that moment. “Well, all the passengers were clapping their hands and looked at us with big smiles. I felt very proud and very touched.”
He also told us that sometimes the entire troupe members were asked to sign their names on a poster to be kept by the theatre as a souvenir, and they all felt very honored.
Between performances, their dance teachers also gave them classes when they had time. Once, when another performing arts troupe heard that Shen Yun performers were having training classes, they all rushed over to see them. They were very impressed by Shen Yun’s superb techniques and kept making exclamations of praise. “When we heard their praises, we trained even more vigorously.” My son said with pride.
After a well-known scholar, who has extensive knowledge about the evilness of the Communist Party, saw Shen Yun, he said he really enjoyed it and asked the performers for their autographs as a memento. “We all signed our autographs and the scholar was very happy,” my son said.
Most Shen Yun performers are Falun Dafa practitioners. Even though some trainee performers are quite young, they all understand the importance of exposing the persecution by the CCP, either in their lives or in their performances, to support fellow practitioners in China, and to bring the persecution to an end as soon as possible.
As parents, we are very happy that students at Fei Tian and Shen Yun are able to participate in exposing the evilness of the CCP from a young age and promote the true divine culture and values of China’s 5000 years of civilization, telling people what China was like before communism. What they do is so significant and important.
In Western art, Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling fresco “The Creation of Adam” as well as his later fresco “The Last Judgment” are regarded as the pinnacle of the Renaissance period, and the reason Michelangelo's work remains so well-known to this day is because of the spirituality behind it, showing that God created man and man faces destruction if he fails to follow God's laws. Such art also inspires people to think about the ultimate question: Where did humankind come from and where will they end up?
Shen Yun's performances have offered some clear answers to such questions. In their opening act, countless gods and Buddhas descend from the cosmos with the Creator to the human world and start China’s 5000 years of divine culture. In their programs, we can see goodness and evilness, traditional cultural values, and deviated notions. Such comparisons help people have a deeper understanding and appreciation of kindness and that kindhearted people will always be protected by the divine.
We go to see Shen Yun every year, and each time we felt deeply touched and being purified at the same time. We always shed tears when watching the programs in which Falun Dafa practitioners were persecuted by the CCP, so did the audience members around us. We said to our son, “Such programs bring our hearts close to our fellow practitioners in China. You must do your best and be worthy of Shen Yun and our loved one who lost his life as a result of persecution.”
Life in Fei Tian
Like every other student, my son enjoys free tuition and free board. In addition, they are also offered some subsidies. So parents do not need to pay for anything. The students study and live on a very beautiful campus, with traditional Chinese architecture. Even though Fei Tian is based in the U.S., students learn to be proficient in both English and Chinese languages.
My son has learned a lot about American history, its founding principles, and the stories of the Founding Fathers. He has also learned a lot about Chinese history, historical figures and heroes in history. He could talk nonstop on such topics. My son has also become quite knowledgeable about China’s famous mountains and rivers, even various Chinese cuisines. We feel deeply that only Fei Tian can produce such excellent all-rounders.
Shen Yun has achieved the highest standards in terms of dance techniques, known as“shen dai shou” (the body leads the hands) and “kua dai tui” (the hips lead the legs). All dance students at Fei Tian and Shen Yun performers are trained especially with such techniques, and as a result, they are able to depict various characters in different dynasties so vividly.
As parents, we are extremely grateful and would like to express our most sincere gratitude to all the teachers of Fei Tian Academy, Fei Tian College, and Shen Yun Performing Arts!
Challenges for a Dancer
My son has also experienced an injury during training at Fei Tian. His teachers took him to the hospital straight away. We were still in China at that time. My son told us later that after the doctor treated his injury, he said my son needed further checkups and he would also need surgery.
My son told us that his teachers and classmates took great care of him and he was advised to take some good rest and he didn’t need to attend dance classes when he was recovering from his injury.
My son thought to himself: “I’m a Dafa cultivator and I should take the opportunity to cultivate myself and study the Fa more often.” He kept strong righteous thoughts and felt that the pain became much lesser. When he went back to have a checkup, the doctor was very surprised by his speedy recovery and said he didn’t need any operation anymore. After my son had fully recovered, he didn’t have any problem with resuming dancing.
He also told me another incident. Once, before the show started, he began to have diarrhea and kept running to the toilet. It stopped before the show started, but when he was on stage, he felt he must have lost weight because his costumes felt loose. He didn’t tell the company manager and his teacher but kept performing on stage. Whenever there was a short break in between the programs, he sat on a chair for a rest. He persevered throughout the show and did very well. He said, “When I was dancing on stage, I focused 100% on what I was doing, and I didn’t feel I was sick at all.”
We often remind our son that everyone taking a career as a professional dancer will inevitably encounter difficulties and hardship, and he should learn to regard them as joy. He has been through heaps of hardship in training various dance techniques and has learned to deal with them with professional integrity and dedication. We were very pleased with the way he handled the situation and that he was able to think for the whole production and the audience. All this helped him build a sense of responsibility.
Of course, he also experienced setbacks in his training. For example, he could not do “shen dai shou” (the body leads the hands) very well from time to time, but he is trying very hard to catch up. We shared with him, “Nothing is easy in any profession. In dancing, one needs to use one’s body to express the essence of what one wants to present. So one must endure hardship and pain to reach professional standards.”
Sometimes, we also joked with him by saying: “You see, Chinese peasants work so hard and feel very tired in the field, but their sweat and hard work bring them a good harvest in the end.”
Other Positive Changes in My Son
My son was very quiet while in China due to the persecution, and when he first started at Fei Tian, his introverted personality made it a bit difficult for him to communicate with others. However, my son changed gradually in the wonderful environment at Fei Tian. He became more and more cheerful, optimistic and full of youthful vigor. He cooperates very well with his classmates both in training and in performing.
Back in China, my son learned to surf the internet when he was very young. When we visited relatives around New Year’s time, he would play games online with other kids. I noticed that my son was accessing bad stuff online a couple of times, and soon his neck became crooked and it was very painful. A few times after he played games online, he woke up at night and cried aloud, saying, “Those things are walking back and forth.” We asked who those things were, and he said, “They were the ones who were fighting and killing in the games.”
We were very strict with him, telling him that he must stop playing games, but he found it very hard to fight the addiction. After he went to Fei Tian, where young students can’t have smartphones or access the internet freely, we no longer needed to worry about this issue. As my son is growing more mature, he can now control himself from watching unhealthy content on the internet or playing games. We feel very grateful to Fei Tian for providing such a safe learning environment.
We felt deeply hurt by the New York Times articles and the inaccurate accusations by the former performers. We sincerely hope that they will respect facts and truth, and don’t follow the CCP in persecuting kindhearted people.
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