(Clearwisdom.net)

Film producer: "I was very moved"

Attending Shen Yun's Washington D.C. Performance Thursday evening was Don Thompson, a producer of documentary and feature films. "I have to say that I was very moved. I was struck by the energy of the performers, and, really, it seemed to take you to another world," said Thompson.

"It was very, very pure, very spiritual. What's so important about theater and the live human performance is the direct connection between the audience and the performer. So, as such, performers can get the audience or help the audience get back in touch with their own humanity, and I'm very much a proponent of humanistic media and of anything that helps us to humanize the world and to create a more tolerant and compassionate world."

One of the films Mr. Thompson co-produced, Tibet in Song, won a prize at last year's Sundance Film Festival. The film was directed by Ngawang Choephel, who was a political prisoner inside of Tibet for six years. After he was released, Thompson and others helped him to make the film over the course of several years.

Shen Yun addresses the same themes that Thompson has tried to promote in film. "We try to again always emphasize the humanistic approach; themes of tolerance, themes of compassion, reconciliation, rather than to divide people up into different camps, to try to see what is common among people."

Thompson's reaction to Shen Yun was powerful. "I would call myself a spiritual person. I believe that there are other dimensions to life to experience, so I find [the themes in Shen Yun] to be compatible with my beliefs. I don't know what heaven looks like, but I think the feeling that permeated the performance was heavenly."

Mr. Thompson had a lot to say about the messages of freedom of belief and persecution in the show.

"China's a very multi-ethnic country, and I think that right now it's held together by force, and that's a vestige of the empire. And I think that hopefully can change, where what holds China together is a common thread of perhaps spirituality, perhaps values, perhaps culture. In the United States, even though people have a lot of agendas and a lot of different opinions, people basically believe in democracy. And I think that, whether on the left or on the right, people believe in basic human freedoms. If you talked a Republican or a Democrat they're going to both agree that, for example, issues in China related to Falun Gong, related to Tibet, related to other ethnic minorities, they're going to agree on that. So, that's why the Dalai Lama will have, you know, friends on both sides of the aisle. These are issues of common concern to Democrats and Republicans."

Artist and hairdresser: "I'm going to tell my friends in New York to see it"

Fern Hill, an Annapolis resident originally from New York City, is a hairdresser for a salon and an artist. She saw Shen Yun's performance on Thursday and found it fulfilling.

"As a spiritual woman, it did touch me... There seemed to be a lot that this troupe wanted to tell us about freedom, about freedom of speech and freedom of belief. And I caught that."

Ms. Hill's favorite piece was "Astounding Conviction," which is about a Falun Gong practitioner in China who peacefully opposes the government's persecution of his faith.

"It was beautiful. His movements were so beautiful, they were so rounded. And his conviction. It was amazing to see the child, too. I like the way they used the screen in the background and how they showed the mother drifting off in the end. I thought she was actually going to come back to life. I'm sorry she didn't make it."

Ms. Hill said she would definitely come back next year. "I'm going to tell my friends in New York to see it."

Director of recruiting: The lyrics "touched my heart"

Christina Vann, a director of recruiting at a company and originally from Thailand, almost didn't make it to the performance. "My friend at the event offered me two tickets to see the show. I had another plan before this show, so I said, 'Well, I'm going to see the show [Shen Yun] for an hour, and after that I'll go to the [other] event.' After I saw the first dance, I stayed the whole time."

"It was fantastic. Fantastic. Unexpected. And, also, a beautiful message." She added that she felt like she was back in Thailand.

Ms. Vann decided to stay because the show was "absolutely gorgeous." But it was the lyrics from the songs that moved her the most. "The lyrics, oh my... they touched my heart. When he was singing and the message said, 'Life is not about love or hate, truth will end our suffering and worries.' It was beautiful, just touched my heart. I'm very happy and content with that simple message.

"Wow, we as humans are all connected. No matter what color we are, no matter what form, just simple beauty, the way you express it using the art, using the beauty of music, but the message behind it is to bring us together, connect us with love, and live together in harmony. That's the message I got from tonight."

Ms. Vann said she would tell others about Shen Yun just as she had had the good fortune to attend. "I'll definitely pass this on to my friends. I'm going to get an extra ticket tonight and give it to my friend to see this show."