Australia: Falun Gong Practitioners Participate in the Evening Conclusion of the Winter Arts Festival in Melbourne

At the invitation of the Casey Winter Arts Festival organising committee, a group of nearly twenty Falun Gong practitioners in Melbourne came to the Cranbourne Community Theatre, located in the suburb of Casey, on the evening of the 31st of July, 2004, to participate in the closing event of a festival that lasted the entire month of July, Winter Solstice, an evening of song and dance.

More than 200 audience members from Casey viewed the arts performance that featured multicultural styles. The troupe consisting of Falun Dafa practitioners displayed unique Chinese traditional arts, Fan Dance, Tang Dynasty costume performance, and Lotus Dance.

The audience was amazed at the practitioners' unusual style, and elegant and graceful dancing, and gave a warm round of applause. The splendid Tang Dynasty costume performance displayed nobility and elegance, and the joyous Fan Dance accompanied by the music, "Falun Dafa is Great" immersed the audience in a happy and harmonious atmosphere. The Lotus Dance was accompanied by Falun Dafa music creating a moving performance.

Director Ms. Sue and host Mr. Smith	Falun Gong practitioners' Lotus Dance

Practitioners made use of the time to introduce Falun Dafa to audience members and other performers who asked questions during the rehearsal and after performances about Falun Dafa's popularity around the world. Practitioners also exposed the Chinese dictator Jiang Zemin and his group's persecution of Falun Gong. Many people have heard about Falun Dafa and the persecution against Falun Gong practitioners. They expressed their wishes and support for Falun Dafa, and also condemned Jiang's atrocities. One performer said, "Falun Dafa has been warmly received around the world, it must be wonderful. The suppression in China shows the persecution is extremely evil."

After the performance, the general director of the performance, Ms. Sue, explained to a reporter from New Tang Dynasty TV about the planning of the performances. She said, "The performance gained great support from Casey City Hall. The director of Casey City Hall, Mr. Smith, personally hosted the performance. While inviting performance troupes, the preparation committee was very strict so as to guarantee the best forms of multi-cultural singing and dancing were included." When talking about the Falun Dafa troupe, Ms. Sue said, "I saw their performances last year in a local festival in Springvale, and I had a favourable impression. So as early as six months ago when we planned this activity, I sent an invitation to them. Therefore, we decided a long time ago to invite the Falun Dafa performance troupe."