NEW YORK—Widyane Hamdach saw the divine nature of traditional Chinese culture while attending Shen Yun Performing Arts on April 26.
“It’s really, really powerful,” she said, after seeing Shen Yun at Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater. “Perfect—I can’t describe it. I even heard some people crying behind me.”
Ms. Hamdach is a Dubai-based correspondent for Middle Eastern newspapers, a lecturer at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, and a broadcast news analyst in the United Nations Media Department.
Ms. Hamdach recalled that during the performance the Masters of Ceremonies described the New York-based company’s display of 5,000 years of Chinese culture as a display of divine culture.
“I hear people saying that Chinese culture is divine culture. After today, I believe it. It is divine,” Ms. Hamdach said.
“It’s really amazing,” she said. “I don’t have the words to describe it.”
Ms. Hamdach said she could see the divinity in the dancing. Chinese culture is held to be divinely inspired, explains the Shen Yun website, which also describes the profound nature of classical Chinese dance.
The dance “has a long history of thousands of years, and while soaking up profound wisdom from every era and dynasty, it has become a complete system of dance embodying traditional aesthetic principles,” explains the website.
Every posture and movement is imbued with meaning. One of the dance form’s components, bearing, “emphasizes internal spirit, breath, intent, personal aura, and deep emotional expression,” explains the website. “It can nimbly portray movements from daily life, as well as profoundly express the innermost transformation of one’s emotional state.”
Many of the artists involved in Shen Yun have won international competitions in their fields. The performance includes not only classical Chinese dance, but also ethnic and folk dances from China’s diverse ethnic groups. The dances are accompanied by music from an orchestra in front of the stage, which features a unique blend of Chinese traditional instruments and Western classical instruments.
“I have learned a lot about Chinese civilization,“ Ms. Hamdach said. ”They really bring the 5,000 years back to life with their amazing performance. It’s really amazing.”
She felt the overall affect was stunning, and she said her husband told her he was also pleasantly and deeply affected by the beauty. He couldn’t express what it made him feel, and he told her he would write a poem about it.
“I wasn’t expecting this,” Ms. Hamdach said. “I’m so happy and glad that I did come to this show.”
“It’s perfect,” she said. “Really, I’m amazed.”
Reporting by Ivan Pentchoukov and Tara MacIsaac.
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
Shen Yun’s New York Company will be performing at Lincoln Center through April 28.
The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time. We have proudly covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
