LUDWIGSBURG, Germany—As a birthday present, Dr. Marie Launay, scientific director at the Institute for Sanitary Engineering, was treated to see Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Forum am Schlosspark in Baden-Württemberg, Germany on Feb. 22.
“It was like a journey—a cultural journey—these bright colors were so full of life, we could travel with them.”
According to the company’s website, Shen Yun’s costumes and colors are true to traditional aesthetics and styles, painting each dance piece with the splendor of the past.
“We have just seen that through political changes, culture that is over thousands of years old can just disappear,” said Dr. Launay.
“It’s nice that Chinese culture is preserved. Because through this show, it is preserved … it doesn’t get lost.”
“Immediately you think that this sound is a thousand years old … something timeless,” she said.
“It’s like the time of yesterday has a resonance to the time of today—a continuity in time—therefore, we are also connected to the past.”
“I think that’s very brave and very committed and I have respect for that,” Dr. Launay said. “It was very engaging to show something like that on stage.”
“The values are important … that’s what you should live,” she said, “because they bring cohesion [and] togetherness.”
‘They Live These Stories’
Traveling one and a half hours to get to the performance from Aalen, Germany, the Benninger family was truly impressed by the Shen Yun performance.
“Very impressive,” said Ralph Benninger, “From [the] history to the present, this evolution was very well presented …I personally liked it very much.”
Mr. Benninger works in sales and him and his family have traveled to China several times. He said seeing Shen Yun brought back fond memories.
“There are many things that we have rediscovered,” he said, “We’ve seen ethnic dances in the country [and] other similar dances also—but not comparable to [Shen Yun]!
Mrs. Benninger was impressed with the “radiance” and “charisma” of the Shen Yun dancers.
“The movement … [and] body language, the way the dancers [are] just floating over the stage … one has the feeling that they live these stories,” she said.
“Values like empathy, helpfulness … have a certain importance and are lost today,” she said, “[Shen Yun] shows that again.”
Mr. Benninger said the representation of values from the Chinese dynasties to today even under the CCP, is “very vividly depicted.”
“What we saw was the origin of culture, this divinity that was there in principle, now compared to the present where many things are lived quite differently,” he said.
‘I Bow Down to It’
This was the first time Gerhard Ascherl, master television technician, and his Barbara Ascherl, management assistant, saw Shen Yun Performing Arts and they were so amazed they were left “speechless.”
“I bow down to it … [with] great respect!”
“The work as a whole: Every single performer, that harmony, that choreography, the skill from the performers, the togetherness … it was just fascinating!” he said.
“I’m also fascinated by Chinese history, Chinese culture ... that’s a pity it’s not like that today,” he added, “and that’s why I’m absolutely thrilled with what [Shen Yun’s] created here!”
“I can only hope that [Shen Yun’s] influence will be greater … I believe that the big picture will eventually become a reality.”
Mrs. Ascherl was “touched me the most” by Shen Yun’s finale.
“This reference to the current situation … and then this comforting resolution … that’s how we would all wish it [to be].”
“Because we are all part of the whole, no matter where we are in this world,” she added, “that message…[was] so strongly felt.”
