Australia: The Heart and Spirit of the Chinese People Speak to Us Through This Divine Performance in Canberra

For many, the experience of watching Shen Yun Performing Arts is hard to express in words. For Caroline Brien, a counselor and dance fan in Canberra, Australia, there weren't words enough to express how much it moved her. She sighed and said, "Tonight was exceptional, it was beyond my expectations!"

"I can take this home, and if I die tomorrow, I had a wonderful night, I can take something with me"

"It spoke to the individual, of what they want to say through dance. It was spiritual, it was meaningful ... you could lose yourself in every step they did ... And the colours, the meaning of the whole thing. When you see dance like that, you forget where you are. You forget all your troubles, you forget who you are. They're all speaking the same language - all in one, through the heart and through the spirit ... I can take this home, and if I die tomorrow, I had a wonderful night, I can take something with me. It's just beautiful, really beautiful."

Ms. Brien said, "Tonight was exceptional, it was beyond my expectations!"

Ms. Brien's favourite piece was "Mulan Joins the Battle," "The ultimate sacrifice is your life and, through dance, she showed that. And people have given their lives, and the Chinese people not only feel that, know that, they are readily able and willing to give their lives for another, and what they did through dance, it's sharing that ... the spiritualness of it, the love they have for each other."

Ms. Brien explained further, "The divine dance was not only given to us tonight, but the spirituality from it, from the ancestors, was also shared with the people tonight in Australia - I grasped it with open hands and heart from the Chinese people, I'm truly grateful for what they've given us tonight."

She said she would share with her friends, "Absolutely! I would like to say to them: If you ever want to see something that is meaningful, in-depth, spiritual and something from the old world given to the new, then you must go and see this! Exceptional colours, everything was beautiful, It's beyond the word beautiful. It was from God, it was from the past, given to the future, and that's what I would tell them ... Open your heart, let it come out like a flower, let it grow in your heart, let the Chinese people teach us and show us what they have received from the past and from their ancestors, and let them show us more, and go and learn all about it, and see it, and be touched by the love."

"When I saw the Chinese people dancing tonight, they not only danced with what they were taught and what they know, they danced with their heart, with their spirits - the expression on their faces was phenomenal. They felt it, they spoke it without saying anything, they spoke every step through motion, through their eyes, through their expression. Everything tonight was from their being, their whole being, everything was just phenomenal, giving their all. And they did it out of their heart, you can see they love everything they do, you know, it wasn't just a show, tonight wasn't just a performance, it was part of their life, it was part of them, given to us."

Ms. Brien's words for the dancers were; "I'd like to say thank you! And thank you for the experience of knowing what people think and feel in their heart. Thank you for everything they've shown us and given us tonight, and thank you for coming to Australia and doing it for us, being there, and just, thank you, thank you for everything!"

Former Dancer Thoroughly Impressed by Shen Yun

Because she had danced herself for so many years, Mrs. Brown was able thoroughly to appreciate Shen Yun's dance performances and enjoyed watching the elegant dancers gliding around the stage as if they were floating. "The Chinese dancers put their heel down first, and then their toe. It creates a whole different movement, and that's what gives them that beautiful glide. So it's just really interesting to be able to see."

Reflecting on the performance, Mrs. Brown said, "It's been really refreshing to watch, really interesting and I've really enjoyed it!"

Of all dances in the show, both Mr. and Mrs. Brown agreed that they liked the dance "Udumbara's Bloom" the most. "I just like the movements and the feel of that dance. There's a couple of beautiful little dancers in the front row, who danced really well. You could see the flower unfolding, it was done very well," said Mrs. Brown.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Brown said the two tenors, Jiansheng Yang and Guan Guimin, surpassed all their expectations. "Oh, we were very impressed with the tenor!" exclaimed Mrs. Brown. "I just thought, 'Wow!' I just closed my eyes and listened. ...I just thought it was nice to hear the Chinese words coming through in a melodic tone."

They also enjoyed seeing characters from traditional, familiar Chinese fables. "I'm familiar with some of the tales, and that makes it really nice," said Mrs. Brown. "I knew about the Monkey King, and a few of the other ones, so it's good to know what's going on."

"I like the colour and everyone looks like they're really enjoying what they're doing, and that is great," said Mrs. Brown.

"It just went too quickly!"

"We loved it, we will have to come again next year, the year after and the year after that!" Madison said enthusiastically. She and her mother Mrs. Horn, watched Shen Yun for the first time.

Madison said, "I liked the grand finale with the big ribbons and all the different costumes that they had, that was spectacular!"

Referring to the dance, "The Monkey King Triumphs" Madison said, "It was beautiful, and I thought, 'I remember watching that, growing up.' I thought it was well done, I loved it, but it just went too quickly."

Mrs. Horn heard about Shen Yun from her work colleagues. "I thought it would be nice because Maddie loves dancing. I thought I would just take her along and she can see some different styles of dancing," she said.

Source: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/14556/
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http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/14547/