Shen Yun Captures the Hearts of Dignitaries in Washington DC (Photos)

(Clearwisdom.net) The renowned Kennedy Center Opera House in Washington, D.C. played host to the Shen Yun Performing Arts Touring Company for seven thrilling shows on January 26-30, 2011. The performers received a standing ovation from an enthusiastic audience after its final act.

U.S. Secretary of Education and family enjoy Shen Yun

Arne Duncan, US Secretary of Education, with his wife Karen Duncan and their two children, daughter Claire, 8, and son Ryan, 5, at Shen Yun Performing Arts in Washington.

Arne Duncan, US Secretary of Education, was one of many Washington, D.C. elites to attend Shen Yun.

Enjoying the show with Duncan, was his wife, Karen Duncan, and their two children; daughter Claire, 8, and son Ryan, 5.

When asked which part of the show Mrs. Duncan enjoyed the most, she replied, “I liked all of it. I liked the costumes."

Senior consultant: “It was really, really spectacular!”

Mr. Templeton with his wife, Charlotte, together with George Templeton at The Kennedy Center Opera House, on Jan. 30

Patrick A. Templeton, a senior consultant in the corporate and government relations field, was accompanied by his wife, Charlotte.

“It was really, really spectacular!” he said. “To show 5,000 years, it was beautifully done, and educational.

“The performers are all very professional, and beautiful costumes, and the scenery was very interesting.”

Noting the spiritual content in the performances, Mr. Templeton said,“I like the reference to the deity and the spiritual.”

He was particularly impressed with the way the animated backdrops were utilized to depict heavenly beings either flying up into the heavens or descending to earth.

“It’s fulfilling, it broadens your horizons, it broadens your perspective,” Mr. Templeton explained.

Mr. Templeton’s grandfather, George Templeton, started Technicolor in 1932. The company is now one of the world’s largest processors and distributors of DVDs and Blu-ray discs.

Mrs. Templeton thoroughly enjoyed the show, pointing out the flawless talent of the performers, the beautiful dancing, and the educational value of the narratives offered by the masters of ceremonies between programs.

“The costumes are so vibrant, it’s very happy and light. I loved the emphasis on truth, compassion, it’s just beautiful, everything about it is beautiful,” she concluded.

Retired admiral: Shen Yun “represents traditional Chinese values and culture”

Retired admiral Tom Marfiak and his wife

Tom Marfiak, a retired admiral with 37 years of service, and former head of the US Naval War College and Senior Associate at Burdeshaw Associates, thought Shen Yun was a “really remarkable performance!”

“It was wonderful to see the dance and the culture of China… the wonderful dancing and music, of course. Extraordinary!” he said.

Highly educated and a world traveler, he savored the originality and meaning of the performance.

Mr. Marfiak especially appreciated the way Shen Yun uses projected backdrops depicting Chinese landscapes and heavenly realms which interact seamlessly with the performers on stage.

“I thought the way that the backdrops work, digital backdrops—that could only be possible in the 21st century,” he explained.

“The creativity involved, particularly the opening sequence, going through the galaxies, as they say in Star Wars, many years ago ... That's very effective use of technology... A big thumbs up on that one. I liked it a lot, super good.”

He went on to say that Shen Yun “represents traditional Chinese values and culture very well.”

Mr. Marfiak felt that it was important for Americans to “be aware of the other cultures.”

He talked about Shen Yun's contributions to Western society, particularly in the area of universality.

“Shen Yun shows that the music and the dance are contemporaneous across cultures. The energy of youth, the excitement of dancing, and so on, is a global experience. Secondly ... We have these common interests that we can work out together. I think it does a great job of conveying that.”

Mr. Marfiak said he particularly appreciated having the “actual grand piano for the accompaniment of the singers.”

He thought the dancers were “really incredible. Extraordinary,” adding, “The Manchurian dancers and the story of the plum blossom that blooms even in the winter time despite all the difficulties it's in, it brings its color to our life.”

Former U.S. Congressman: Shen Yun “does such a wonderful job of presenting the history of China”

Curtain call for Shen Yun Performing Arts in The Kennedy Center Opera House.

Jim Slattery, former U.S. Representative from Kansas, thought Shen Yun was “absolutely spectacular! adding, “I hope more Washingtonians and people in this area have an opportunity to see it.”

Mr. Slattery worked on various important committees, including: Energy & Commerce, Veterans' Affairs, Budget, and Banking. He also ran for U.S. Senate in 2008. He is currently a senior partner at Washington-based Wiley Rein LLP law firm, an 80-attorney Communications Practice, the largest in the nation.

“It is a wonderful exhibit and a wonderful program. I strongly encourage people to come and see it and participate,” he said.

Mr. Slattery thought that Shen Yun “does a wonderful job of displaying the historic ancient culture of China.

“It was all so well done. It is just an inspirational program, all of it. It does such a wonderful job of presenting the history of China. I enjoyed it all.”

Mr. Slattery feels that Shen Yun spreads an inspiring feeling of hope that will resonate with anyone.

“It is a message of peace and it is a message of openness. It communicates the need for freedom in China and more acceptance of individual liberty,” he explained.

Head of meditation museum says Shen Yun is all about truth, simplicity, purity

Ms. Jenna Maharaja at a VIP reception for Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Kennedy Center Opera House in Washington, DC, Jan. 25., 2011

Ms. Jenna Maharaja, head of the Meditation Museum in Silver Springs, Virginia, felt that Shen Yun “really offered individuals a chance to experience peace, a chance to experience the importance of truth, that it is very simple. Truth is very, very simple.”

Ms. Maharaja felt that Shen Yun encourages people to be more “divine and more elevated.”

She said she felt the performances strengthened the “power of the human soul” and encouraged clear thinking about life.

“So the performance tonight, from my perspective: I was looking at its truth, its simplicity, its purity, its innocence—and these are the basics of life. And these are the things we will have to return to, at some point. Performances like this ... give us a chance to remember what is real and what is true.”

Ms. Maharaja said that the ancient exercise and meditation practice of Falun Gong is “consistently sincere, and their consistent love of truth, for what they are doing, helps everyone that they come into contact with.”

“Universal values are intrinsic in every human being, and performances like this are beneficial to everyone,” she added.