The Carmi Rotary club took a trip to China at Thursday’s meeting. The trip was courtesy of Professor Hao Feng, from the University of Illinois in Champaign. Professor Feng is a professor of food engineering, but his visit to Carmi had nothing to do with food.
The professor was on hand to discuss an incredible show that will be appearing in Evansville in February. The production, called “Shen Yun” will be performed at the Aiken Theatre in Evansville on February 25th and 26th.
As he explained, this work is somewhat similar to a ballet, but is done in classical Chinese dance, which is much more fluid than traditional ballet. He joked, that if anyone has ever watched a Kung Fu movie, they have seen some of the same aspects of Chinese dance. In fact, the Chinese words for dance and war are almost the same, and are viewed as two sides of the same coin; one side is peace, one side is war.
He went on to tell the Rotarians about how the show is put together. He explained that what is considered one of the four greatest works of literature in world history is a Chinese book called, “Journey to the West”, and it features 81 separate stories. Each of these stories is brought to life in different years, and is featured in the Shen Un production. The professor also told the group that the book “Journey to the West” is the second most referenced book in the world, second only to the Bible.
The show that will be performed in Evansville is part of a touring group based out of upstate New York. 10 years ago a group of artists from China escaped the communist country to form the production company. The group is now made up of performers from all over the world, and they tour the whole world with this show.
The professor explained that the communists in China have been working for 60 years to destroy all history and culture from the old world, and have been very successful. He told the group that this type of show could never be put on in mainland China, which is why the group chose the USA for their base of operations.
For more information about this stunning show, visit www.shenun.com. For ticket information, go to www.shenyun.com/evansville.
In club business, the Rotarians settled on their next fundraiser, which will be held on Saturday, January 14th at the Lion’s Den in Carmi. The chili supper will feature home made chili with all the fixins’ a drink and desert for only $7.00. Tickets will be available at the door or can be purchased in advance from any Carmi Rotarian.
Dale Peters was named the day’s phantom, and Randy Douglass won the 50/50 drawing but did not claim the day’s growing cash prize.
The Carmi Rotary club meets every Thursday at noon at the First United Methodist Church in Carmi. Anyone wishing to learn more about this worldwide civic club is more than welcome to attend a meeting or speak with any Carmi Rotarian.
