BRUSSELS—A prominent musician scorned the Chinese Communist Party for spurning the New York-based classical Chinese dance company, Shen Yun Performing Arts, at the National Theatre in Brussels.
He attended the performance with a woman who works in communications and marketing. She saw the Chinese regime’s rebuff as a no-cost marketing strategy that actually benefits Shen Yun.
She displayed an article with a headline that read, ‘Chinese President Does Not Like Chinese Dance in Brussels.’
She said, “We agreed on one thing, it’s a wonderful advertisement for Shen Yun, wonderful publicity. We both read the article,” she said.
The musician said: “The article is very well written. It makes the Chinese government sound very juvenile … It makes him sound like a child, sound ridiculous.”
According to the Shen Yun website, an “explanation dates back to the Cultural Revolution and systematic attempts to wipe out the heritage of 5,000 years of civilisation.
“Shen Yun’s goal is to revive the authentic and original manifestation of traditional Chinese culture and art. On stage, Shen Yun performances bring back these traditional values that have sustained and created cultural expression for so many generations. The mere representation of this lost heritage and its virtues immediately, by way of contrast, unmasks the Party and its ideology of struggle.
“This is why the Communist Party fears Shen Yun, and why this kind of performance cannot be seen in China today.”
We chose to withhold the couple’s identity.
Meanwhile, Shen Yun’s orchestral fusion of Eastern and Western instruments playing all-original compositions drew praise from the musician.
“I was very impressed with the orchestra, it was very good. The musicians played very well,” he said.
“A Western philharmonic orchestra plays the foundation, while traditional Chinese instruments lead the melodies,” Shen Yun website says. “The sound produced is uniquely pleasing to the ear. The ensemble at once expresses both the grandeur of a Western orchestra and the distinct sensibilities of China’s 5,000-year-old civilisation.”
“I think it’s nice. It’s interesting to listen to the way the Eastern instruments are playing Westernised music,” he said. “It’s really interesting, the solo [erhu virtuoso], and the combination of the piano. That was especially unique, I enjoyed that.”
“That was very skillfully played,” his companion said.
The musician also said the combination of Chinese dance with Western music was “very interesting to watch,” he said.
“Mortals and divine beings merge on stage as one. Principles such as benevolence and justice, propriety and wisdom, respect for the heavens, and divine retribution, all come to life, washing over the audience,” says the website. “Originating from Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, these ideals are the essence of traditional Chinese culture.”
Reporting by Maria Mann and Raiatea Tahana-Reese
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit Shen Yun Performing Arts.
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.
