CHANGWON, South Korea—Well-known music conductor Mr. Kang Man-Ho was in the audience for Shen Yun’s performance on the evening of April 9. “The music is a wonderful blend of classical Chinese instruments and Western orchestral instruments,” he said. “Each time I’ve heard it, I’ve heard new timbres.”
Mr. Kang is currently a standing conductor at the GyeongNam Philharmonic Orchestra. He also saw Shen Yun in 2010 and 2012.
“There is new music this year. The dancing in the stories interacts with the music perfectly. The combination makes me feel easy and relaxed,” he added. “The music reaches the inside of my heart. It is the unique kind of music that belongs only to Shen Yun. I am inspired by it.”
According to its website, “A Shen Yun performance features the world’s foremost classically trained dancers, a unique orchestra blending East and West, and dazzling animated backdrops—together creating one spectacular performance.”
“The reason that Shen Yun can reach so many people around the world is because it has a spiritual level inside of its performance. Everything about Shen Yun contains the message of benevolence and righteousness. That is why it always reaches its audiences. Its performance gets me thinking what it would be like to live a kind life.”
During a Shen Yun performance, principles such as benevolence and justice, propriety and wisdom, respect for the heavens, and divine retribution, all come to life, washing over the audience.
Mr. Kang also praised Shen Yun’s dynamic use of sound to create unheard of melodies and tones. “I can’t believe that Shen Yun has created such a flawless and clean-cut timbre and music interval. It’s heavenly!” he said.
Last year when he watched Shen Yun, Mr. Kang was in a very similar state of mind. “In my opinion, only Shen Yun’s performance can rectify the chaotic situation in this world,” he said. “For those who can appreciate the beauty of cultural art, those who are kind and upright, Shen Yun definitely will bring them enormous joy.”
“It is very hard to have the performance on stage and the live music match without error. Shen Yun did it—perfectly.”
‘The rich variety makes it full of fun’
Ms. Son Yeong-Sun, an author of children’s books, saw Shen Yun Performing Arts Touring Company’s performance on April 9 and fell in love with it. “There is music, different dancing styles, and solo singing. The rich variety makes it full of fun. The Sand Monk turns into a fish and swims in the river in the program Sand Monk Is Blessed, which looks so real and vibrant. The vivid feeling made me want to play with water at that moment,” she said.
“The technique of letting us believe that a real fish jumped out of the water is the most outstanding. I have never seen this unique high-tech in South Korea. This special effect is the most impressive I believe.”
Ms. Son was especially impressed with the dancing. “I for sure love the dancing by the female artists. The male artists do a fantastic job as well; they are full of vitality and masculinity. Today’s show is a feast of performing art.”
“As I saw the prairie landscapes and scenes of nature, it occurred to me that people nowadays live such a boring life in the jungle of concrete buildings,” she said.
Ms. Son learned how to let go from the stories in Shen Yun. “We should try to let go and relax. When I lost something in life, I told myself that I must have owed too much before this life and that I should pay it back now I have it.”
Ms. Son believes that children should watch Shen Yun as well. “We live among skyscrapers. The clear creeks and the green Mongolian prairie I see in Shen Yun will naturally plant hopes in our children.”
Read the original Chinese articles. [2]
Reporting by Jim Gyeong-A, Ri Jin and Hsin-Yi Lin
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.
