HOUSTON—Shen Yun Performing Arts is connecting cultures, says Renee Arnold, executive director of operations of the Fountain of Praise Church who was at the New York-based company’s show at the Brown Theater, Wortham Center, on July 3.

“Oh, it was absolutely wonderful. I thought it was a great opportunity to experience the culture of the Chinese people. I was really moved by how spiritual, exciting, the color … I really enjoyed it, very much so.”

Shen Yun brings to the stage ancient China’s divinely-inspired cultural heritage into the 21st century through the adaptation of heroic stories and folkloric tales.

“I think it's brave that the performers and the organizations are bringing this message,” Ms. Arnold said. She was referring to two dances that depict the persecution of Falun Gong in China, an ancient spiritual discipline, Nothing Can Block the Divine Path and Astounding Conviction.

She was aware of the persecution of Falun Gong, but to “really experience it, and to get the word out. I'm hoping to make a change,” she said. “How you're doing it … it's connecting. It's connecting the cultures, our culture with your culture by enlightening us. It's a connection. I think you all are very brave; the performance is very brave and admirable.”

George Anderson, chief operating officer of the church, endorsed Ms. Arnold’s words.

“It was an absolutely awesome performance. Well executed. The dancers, the singers, the orchestra, everyone was just absolutely awesome,” Mr. Anderson said. “It was executed real well, but what was most impressive was the spirituality story behind each of the dances and each of the performances.”

Integral to Shen Yun is exquisitely costumed dancers choreographed to match digital backdrop scenes, a full orchestra playing traditional Eastern and classical Western composition and award-winning vocalists and soloist musicians.”

“It was very moving, and I felt moved, and to me shows the human struggle that's universal. So experiencing this part of Chinese culture-authentic and original Chinese culture-was really, really exciting today.”

Mr. Anderson said he learned that spiritual struggle is universal but even within that struggle “there can still be a beautiful and very lovely expression of the human state-that the human spirit shines out of whatever is repressing or stopping it.”

Mr. Anderson hoped that in the future the communist regime will allow the performance in China.

“It was a very positive message that was shown today. Very lovely, very beautiful. The expressions were very, very, I thought, just lovely.

“It talks about spirituality and I don’t think that people or government should be afraid of spirituality, because spirituality is who we are and what we are. We are spiritual beings.”

Mr. Anderson said the Fountain of Praise Church has a membership of 18,000 and he has committed to bringing the children and encourage parishioners to come “so they can experience what we experienced tonight.”

With reporting by NTDTV.

Shen Yun Performing Arts will next perform in Los Angeles at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, The Music Center from July 8-11. For more information visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts.

Original article: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/38586/