Shen Yun to Perform in Worcester, Mass

BY Connie Phillips, EPOCH TIMES STAFF

Shen Yun Performing Arts will be appearing for two shows at Worcester’s Hanover Theatre on Feb. 6 and 7 as part of its 2010 world tour. This is the first time the New York-based classical Chinese dance and music company is visiting a Massachusetts city other than Boston.

Worcester Mayor Joseph C. O’Brien issued a proclamation in recognition of the show presenter, the Falun Dafa Association of New England, declaring the dates as “Shen Yun Days,” and the Massachusetts State Senate issued an Official Citation in recognition of the company’s upcoming performances at the Hanover Theatre. U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas also sent a letter of greeting in which she thanked the Falun Dafa Association of New England for “hosting the 2010 Shen Yun Performance in Massachusetts.”

In January, Shen Yun performed for the fifth consecutive year in Boston and was welcomed to the state with a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition from U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, an Official Proclamation from Mayor Jeannette McCarthy of Waltham, Mass., and letters of greeting and appreciation from Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, U.S. Rep. James McGovern, U.S. Sen. Paul Kirk, and U.S. Sen. John F. Kerry.

In his letter of welcome, Sen. Kerry stated: “With Shen Yun’s performances in both Boston and Worcester, I am reminded of a Hopi Indian saying, ‘To watch us dance is to hear our hearts speak.’”

Sen. Kirk wrote: “Through Shen Yun’s dedication and commitment, the five-millennia-old artistic tradition of China has come alive for those who may not otherwise have had the opportunity to enjoy it.”

Worcester is a mid-size city with a population of about 182,000 and has received the All-American City Award five times, according to its Web site. The city is also home to 10 colleges and universities, including Worcester Polytechnical Institute, Clark University, College of the Holy Cross, and the University of Massachusetts Medical School, with six more in neighboring communities.

The newly renovated Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts is located in the heart of downtown Worcester and is a perfect venue for the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company, Shen Yun, to perform. The theater “represents the perfect union between historical beauty and modern amenity,” according to the web site, thanks to the efforts of the nonprofit Worcester Center for the Performing Arts (WCPA).

WCPA was founded in 2002, dedicated to “bringing culture to the city,” says the Web site. The plan was to restore the former Poli Palace Theatre, at the time a vacant cinema building, to create a theater in Worcester that would attract Broadway shows and world-class performances to the city.

The theater, originally built by the renowned cinema and theater architect Thomas Lamb, reopened in March 2008 restored to its former glory—with grand marble columns, ornate gilding, elaborate plasterwork, and spectacular chandeliers.

Shen Yun, which consists of three touring companies, each with its own orchestra, has performed in some of the world’s greatest theaters. U.S. venues for the 2010 world tour include the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco, the Orpheum Theatre in Memphis, Chicago’s Civic Opera House, and Radio City Music Hall in New York.

The shows at the Hanover Theatre will be on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.