(Clearwisdom.net) Shen Yun Performing Arts 2009 World Tour opened at the Conservatorium Theater at Griffith University Brisbane to resounding applause on April 9, 2009. Located in South Bank, Brisbane's popular tourist destination, the Conservatorium Theater is part of Brisbane's premier arts precinct and is noted for its acoustic quality.

It was Shen Yun's opening performance in Queensland as part of the Australian leg of their international tour, and members of the Sunshine State audience had traveled across borders and around the state to see the show.

Mr. Lynch, a drama teacher

Mr. Lynch, a drama teacher, was there to experience the depiction of 5,000 years of Chinese culture through music and dance. "Wonderful show! There's a lot of color; I think there's an excitement ... there's a really great feel in the energy."

Mr. Lynch was originally trained as a child actor many years ago. He has run youth theater and mainly worked in devising and creating pieces of theater, with recap Australia and Queensland for about 10 years. More recently he has been working as a contractor to School of the Air, creating digital films with young people.

He shared, "I think the willingness to use the medium to educate people, especially here, in Australia, about the culture, and the costumes, the color and also the beautiful words in the songs, with the translations, I think that's excellent. I particularly loved the story that had the young person, the family man being persecuted. That was a wonderful story; I thought the child actor in that was excellent." He was referring to the dance "Heaven Awaits us Despite Persecution" that tells of oppression, a painful reality for many millions of persons in China today, as witnessed by an innocent family whose father is persecuted for practicing Falun Dafa, a traditional spiritual discipline.

Mr. Lynch summed up by saying, "A wonderful cultural experience that covers many different aspects of Chinese culture."

English tutor Owen was also moved by "Heaven Awaits us Despite Persecution." He thought that one powerful and inspiring message shone through during the show for him. "Shen Yun gives a message of hope, to keep going and truth will win. It was truly excellent. In parts, very moving and a divine programme."

Mr. Lawson was particularly impressed, saying, "I think more Australian people should see this show to get some sort of an understanding and depth of feeling about Chinese culture."

Mr. Lawson worked in the Queensland Parliament as a parliamentary librarian for many years

Mr. Lawson worked in the Queensland Parliament as a parliamentary librarian for many years. As a result of this work, he has a good sense of history. He remarked, "When you look at the historical input Chinese people have made to this country, it is quite remarkable. They practically came over on the first fleet," he said.

Mr. Lawson commented, "Visually, when the curtain goes up, it just hits you, the color and the whole pageantry of the thing. It is a wonderful effort, there is no doubt about it."

He thought the contemporary scene depicting the persecution of a Falun Gong practitioner in China was "a very good mirror of what is going on currently. As the economy of China grows, there hasn't been any diminution of the persecution of Chinese people. In fact, it has grown. This is very much there, in evidence, and I think this is often forgotten."

He said he would encourage others to see Shen Yun, "I will tell them they should come along and see it. It's just thoroughly entertaining from start to finish. Altogether, it is a beautiful spectacle."

Cynthia, an artist who works in several disciples, appreciates the sheer talent of Shen Yun's young dancers. "What I like about this show is that it offers a lot to enjoy. There's great costumes, the dancers are very, very talented and that's something I really appreciate, because that's an artistic background that I am not quite so talented in," she said.

Cynthia thought, "The music is fantastic, there's so much to enjoy. There's a different insight into a different culture, so it's just inspiring in all these different directions."

This is not the first time that Cynthia has had the pleasure of seeing Shen Yun in person. She came to see the show during last year's tour.

Ingrid, a retiree, and her daughter, Ursulla, a psychologist, were left with a deep impression of hope. "It's beautiful. It provides hope because of the history and how people have been able to prevail. The persecutory dance sort of highlights that--the family coming together--but also with religion and the spirit going to heaven with Buddha. It's also the dancing; it provides people with hope, something to enjoy, and a pleasure to look forward to," said Ursulla.

Ingrid enjoyed the vitality of the dancers, especially in the dance "Dragon Springs Drummers." "I like the drums. I really do like the drums. They're kind of uplifting and makes me want to get up and dance a little bit. I really enjoyed the show. It's colorful--loved the costumes, the history of China, the culture, the dancers. The way they dance--the jumping. It's all very interesting," she said.

Both Ingrid and Ursulla encourage others to see the show and experience the skilled dancers for themselves, and to also learn more about China's incredible ancient history. "I'm learning a lot about Chinese culture. There's a lot of things I didn't know. It's actually good. I'm quite happy they've got the commentators there to help explain the pieces and go through the history, because I've definitely learned a lot," said Ursulla.

"I would say it's beautiful. I would just say go and see it and enjoy it," said Ingrid.

Source: http://theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/15051/
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