Australian Comedian, Radio and Television Presenter Likes the Clarity of Shen Yun
Apr 24, 2022
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Mother and daughter Anne Langbroek (L) and Kate Langbroek (R) attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at Palais Theatre in Melbourne, Australia, on April 24, 2022. (Jing Li/The Epoch Times)
MELBOURNE, Australia—Sharing precious moments with loved ones is always satisfying, and that is how mother-daughter duo Anne and Kate Langbroek described a great Sunday afternoon attending Shen Yun Performing Arts at Melbourne’s Palais Theatre.
Kate Langbroek, a long-time comedian, radio and television presenter who is now working for KIIS radio, brought her retired mother, Anne Langbroek, a former employee at the National Australia Bank, to see Shen Yun on April 24.
The two were amazed by the beauty of the performance.
“It was brilliant. It was beautiful. It was very uplifting,” Kate said, adding that there was something elemental in the beauty of Shen Yun.
“And the dignity,” her mother chimed in.
All the costumes worn by Shen Yun’s performers are handmade, with exquisite workmanship by skilful tailors who have spent decades researching traditional Chinese clothing.
Anne loved how the costumes could express beauty while remaining modest, unlike revealing modern fashion trends.
Kate also expressed appreciation for the clarity of the performances, saying that Shen Yun gave the audience a clear definition of yin and yang, and feminity and masculinity, from a time when these things were not up for debate.
Shen Yun, which is based in New York, has a mission to revive the 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture, which is inspired by the divine and deeply rooted in spirituality.
Kate said that the Chinese culture showcased by Shen Yun resonated with her, adding that faiths around the world manifest through the beauty of humanity. She found the spiritual themes very relatable.
Her mother, Anne, praised Shen Yun’s high level of artistry and the choreography of the performances.
“It was a celebration of the beauty of humanity and what humans can do. It was gorgeous in conjunction with the divine—it was great,” she said.
At the same time, Kate was impressed by the extraordinariness of the techniques presented by Shen Yun’s performers. She said she felt energy coming from them, adding, “I think anyone who sees it would be affected by it positively.”
Shen Yun Performing Arts International Company's curtain call at Melbourne's Palais Theatre, on April 24, 2022. (Ming Chen/The Epoch Times)
We Really Need to Reflect and Look Backwards
Also sharing the beauty of Shen Yun with family members at the April 24 performance was May Chuah, the managing director at Coobitsah, a financial consultancy firm that focuses on the Asia-Pacific.
Putting aside her busy schedule, Ms. Chuah took her daughter, a state gymnast for Victoria, to see Shen Yun at her daughter’s request.
“They wanted to see it, and as a mother, you always say yes,” she said.
May Chuah attends Shen Yun Performing Arts at Palais Theatre in Melbourne, Australia, on April 24, 2022. (NTD)
Ms. Chuah said that Shen Yun was an eye-opener and praised it as an amazing experience. At the same time, she was surprised to learn that gymnastics originated from China—something she didn’t know despite her Chinese heritage.
“It’s got all the flips and everything we do in gymnastics, and I didn’t know that it originated from classical Chinese dance,” she said.
From the two hour performance, Ms. Chuah realised what China was like prior to the rule of Communism, which was something she had no knowledge of as she grew up in Malaysia.
“My ancestors ran [out of China] because of Communism. I’m half Chinese and I didn’t know what it was like before,” she said.
The performance was a huge journey for Ms. Chuah, bringing her back to the essence of the traditional Chinese culture.
It also reminded her of the stories that are passed down in her family, in which people of the previous generations placed high importance on moral values, she said.
“There was a lot of talk [by] my grandfather, my mother, and my grandmother, [that] in the olden times, there was the ‘handshake agreement.’ We don’t need a contract,” Ms. Chuah said.
“It’s difficult to say that it exists now. If you look at our contract law, it’s complicated because the ‘handshake agreement’ cannot be relied on these days. It’s really sad.”
After watching the closing scene of Shen Yun, Ms. Chuah said she would go back home and reflect with her children about their Chinese heritage, and China’s history and culture.
“A lot of that has been lost because it’s not taught in schools anymore. We have to go back. We really need to reflect and look backwards, go through the history books and understand where it all came from,” she said.
