United States: Greensboro Mayor Sees Shen Yun a Second Time and Encourages Others Not to Miss It

Ms. Yvonne Johnson, Mayor of Greensboro, North Carolina enjoyed last year's Shen Yun Performing Arts show so much that she vowed to give all city employees a 10 percent discount from the cost of this year's ticket, to encourage them to attend the show.

Mayor Yvonne Johnson gives a speech at the reception after watching the Shen Yun Show

Mayor Johnson and her assistants worked to "make sure that the Greensboro community knew [how good the show was]." She announced the discount at a recent city council meeting, after getting permission from the rest of the council. She explained, "I want to encourage people to come, because it's just ... I mean everything! The dance, the music, the history, the culture, the stories, the scenery, are all awesome!"

"This is my second time coming to the Shen Yun performance. The first time I came I was just fascinated, it was an awesome show. So I said if it ever comes to Greensboro again, I will certainly be there," Mayor Johnson declared.

The Mayor went on to say, "This is Greensboro, and we have five colleges and universities and a law school here. So we have over 40,000 students in our city, and it's a wonderful town to live in. This [Shen Yun performance] just made it even better!"

Remembering last year's show she was impressed by "the beauty, the costumes, the colour, the stories, the dance, the music. The whole thing just resonated in my soul." Then the Mayor said, "I found it even better this time. So yes, I am now a big fan and supporter and I'll be back again. I look forward to this performance coming back to Greensboro."

"I loved the drums, and the Mongolian Dance, and loved the ones with the spring, the flowers [referring to "The Udumbara's Bloom" about a legendary flower of Buddhist lore that only blossoms once every 3,000 years]. Just a combination of things. It was just wonderful. A wonderful way to end a terribly busy week."

The Mayor added that she appreciated the emcees' explanations to help the audience understand the ancient culture being showcased. "Oh, I loved the stories. I loved the history. I liked the way the emcees first gave some context or perspective of what it was about, I loved that!"

When asked what she would like the people of her city to know about the show, the Mayor said, "I would tell the citizens of Greensboro, 'If you miss this, you've missed a treat, that you really will regret. Once you see it, once you experience it, you will want to come back again, and again.'"

Mayor Johnson believes the Shen Yun show has far-reaching positive effects in bridging cultural gaps."I think you get to know people better, you understand much more about their culture and their history. You begin to bond, you begin to build relationships and that's what is so important to me in Greensboro - for people who are different to build relationships and understand each other better. I think this promotes that."