CHINA-merican Dream (Guest: Levi Browde)

CCP Persecutes Shen Yun Dancers Beyond China’s Borders with Help of American Media

The American Dream allows for self-determination and was born outside the borders of British. Chinese culture is under attack, by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The Shen Yun dance is very much part of that culture; it is banned in China. That is why the dancers display their highly disciplined and well received shows beyond China’s borders.

Despite this, the CCP has targeted Shen Yun internationally because the latter is perceived as a threat to CCP control, even though the shows are in increasingly higher demand all over the world. The market for the display of this piece of Chinese culture is there and the CCP wants to destroy it.

The tactics used by the CCP to sabotage Shen Yun, which is based in New York, include diplomatic pressures on theaters and officials. Even more egregiously, dancers are seeing the arrest of their own family members still in China.

Now, the New York Times – the ‘Gray Lady’ and ‘paper of record’ continues to launch its own brand of salvos against Shen Yun. The implication is that at a minimum, the Times is in alliance with the CCP.

Shen Yun has since responded, noting that the articles have been “riddled with inaccuracies.”

“The recent Times articles that have appeared over the past several months are precisely an attack on the faith that drives us and the hard work that characterizes our performance culture,” the group noted earlier this month.

The group has been under consistent watch by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), despite the fact that it has been absolutely celebratory in tone when it comes to all things Chinese culture. It believes that the CCP has been pushing tactics to discredit the popular show at every turn, mainly due to its organizers, Falun Gong, being involved.

A member for Shen Yun joins us now to discuss the situation further. We welcome them to the show!

Q&A:

Levi, can you describe the mission behind Shen Yun and why the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) perceives it as a threat to their control?
How has Shen Yun managed to sustain its international success despite the CCP’s persistent efforts to undermine it?
What are some of the specific tactics the CCP uses to target Shen Yun outside of China, particularly in the U.S.?
How have the actions of the CCP affected the lives of the dancers, especially those who have family members still living in China?
You mentioned that the New York Times has been critical of Shen Yun in recent articles. How do you view this coverage, and why do you believe it aligns with the CCP’s agenda?
The CCP has been accused of using diplomatic pressure to target Shen Yun performances in different countries. Can you provide specific examples of how this has played out in real life?
How does Shen Yun respond to these international attacks, especially in the media, and maintain its reputation and mission of showcasing Chinese culture?
What does the “China-merican Dream” mean to you, and how does it resonate with the dancers who have escaped the CCP’s persecution to perform in freedom?Where can we learn more about the beautiful art of Shen Yun, and how it motivates others?
1. The official website can be found here. Tickets to shows are also available there for purchase.

FROM FALUN DAFA INFORMATION CENTER

ABOUT LEVI BROWDE…

Levi Browde serves as the Executive Director with the New York-based Falun Dafa Information Center – an organization dedicated to ending the human rights abuses against people who practice Falun Gong in China.

Over the past 20 years, Browde has been interviewed and quoted by the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Chicago Tribune, CNN, the Associated Press, TIME Magazine, BBC, AFP, and other media outlets. He has spoken about Falun Gong and human rights in China at briefings on Capitol Hill in Washington DC, at the United Nations human rights sessions in Geneva, Switzerland.

Browde studied East Asian Studies at Wesleyan University and is an avid supporter of traditional Chinese culture. He founded several software start-ups, and lives in New York with his wife and two sons.

Samples of Levi on camera:

FROM SHEN YUN

Piotr Huang

Shen Yun Principal Dancer Piotr Huang holds a Master of Fine Arts in classical Chinese dance from Fei Tian College in New York. He won gold in New Tang Dynasty Television’s 2014 International Classical Chinese Dance Competition’s and has performed over 1,500 shows with Shen Yun on the some of the world’s most prestigious stages. Born in Poland, Mr. Huang may have pursued a basketball career had he not turned his energies to dance.

Samples of Piotr on camera:

Shindy Cai

Shindy Cai was born and raised in Sacramento, California. She attended the San Francisco High School of the Arts before furthering her studies in classical Chinese dance at Fei Tian Academy of the Arts in New York. She has been touring with Shen Yun since 2013 and has performed in over 900 shows around the world. In her spare time, she enjoys reading and writing, has a secret weakness for chocolate chip cookies and good poetry, and gets overly excited when she hears great music.

Samples of Shindy on camera:

Jared Madsen

Jared was one of the first students from Iowa to study in China where he fell in love with Chinese culture. For the past 18 years, Jared has served as MC for Shen Yun Performing Arts.

Samples of Jared on camera:

Alice Liu

Alice Liu has performed over 1,500 shows with Shen Yun to date. A timpanist and percussionist, she also performed with Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall and other prestigious venues, is featured on many recordings for CD and DVD, and boasts more than 16 years of orchestral performance experience.

For Interviews, contact Bookings@SpecialGuests.com or call Todd Baumann at 512-966-0983.

Post Views: 137