Writer Sees in Shen Yun ‘a message of tolerance and peace’
Created: Jan 2, 2010Last Updated: Jan 3, 2010
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Matthew and Vivee Francis Olzmann (Jing Zuo/The Epoch Times)
DETROIT—The Shen Yun Performing Arts International Company’s show at Detroit Opera House on Saturday depicted the excellence of Chinese classical dance. The show included songs sung in Chinese with English subtitles whose meaning transcended the spoken and written word.
Two writers of Western prose and poetry, Matthew Olzmann and Vivee Francis Olzmann, spoke about the show’s effect on them.
“I’m really enjoying it. It’s very moving and very beautiful; so intricate, the movements are so intricate,” said Vivee, who is a teacher as well as a poet.
“The family scene with the little girl and the mother dying—that made me weepy,” she said.
Vivee was referring to Nothing Can Block the Divine Path. The program description for this piece states: “Mother and daughter who perform Falun Dafa exercises in a park are discovered by police … The mother is dragged to a detention center where she pays the ultimate price for trying to protect her daughter.”
Vivee said it was her understanding that such things are happening in China today. ”I think it’s saying that everyone should be allowed to practice their spirituality as they will. So that’s the message I got—freedom of practice.”
Matthew, who is a novelist and teacher, thought the show was “amazing—very visually stunning and very beautiful—a message of tolerance and peace. The whole performance is very beautiful, especially the Tibetan Dance of Praise.”
In this piece, the performers wear the garb of traditional Tibetan nobility as young men and women share their joy of life in Tibet’s snowy mountains.
“Dance in Tibet—harmonious in form and energy—is as much a part of daily life as herding, hunting, or devotional prayers,” the program says.
The couple would definitely plan to come again, Vivee said, and she will share her experience with her family and friends.
Two writers of Western prose and poetry, Matthew Olzmann and Vivee Francis Olzmann, spoke about the show’s effect on them.
“I’m really enjoying it. It’s very moving and very beautiful; so intricate, the movements are so intricate,” said Vivee, who is a teacher as well as a poet.
“The family scene with the little girl and the mother dying—that made me weepy,” she said.
Vivee was referring to Nothing Can Block the Divine Path. The program description for this piece states: “Mother and daughter who perform Falun Dafa exercises in a park are discovered by police … The mother is dragged to a detention center where she pays the ultimate price for trying to protect her daughter.”
Vivee said it was her understanding that such things are happening in China today. ”I think it’s saying that everyone should be allowed to practice their spirituality as they will. So that’s the message I got—freedom of practice.”
Matthew, who is a novelist and teacher, thought the show was “amazing—very visually stunning and very beautiful—a message of tolerance and peace. The whole performance is very beautiful, especially the Tibetan Dance of Praise.”
In this piece, the performers wear the garb of traditional Tibetan nobility as young men and women share their joy of life in Tibet’s snowy mountains.
“Dance in Tibet—harmonious in form and energy—is as much a part of daily life as herding, hunting, or devotional prayers,” the program says.
The couple would definitely plan to come again, Vivee said, and she will share her experience with her family and friends.
Shen Yun Performing Arts has three companies touring the world. The International Company will perform one more show at the Detroit Opera House: Sunday, Jan. 3 at 4:00 pm.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. For more information, please visitShenYunPerformingArts.org
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. For more information, please visitShenYunPerformingArts.org
