MILWAUKEE—William Steuer thinks that Shen Yun is teaching him some history of Chinese culture. “I’m learning as we go along,” he said. He and his wife saw Shen Yun Performing Arts World Company at the Milwaukee Theatre, on March 6, as part of its Midwest tour.
“I think it’s very artistic,” said Mr. Steuer, who owns a packaging company. “The choreography is pretty impressive and the motion—the ease of motion—everything is soft, soft stop, very impressive flow,” he said.
Mr. Steuer was describing the grace of classical Chinese dance, a dance that lies at the heart of New York-based Shen Yun.
“Classical Chinese dance has a long history of thousands of years, passed down continuously within the imperial palace and ancient Chinese theater and opera. Soaking up profound wisdom from every era and dynasty, it has become a complete system of dance embodying traditional aesthetic principles with its unique dance movements, rhythms, and inner meaning,” according to Shen Yun’s website.
Due to the expressiveness of this dance form, dancers can tell stories without words. Thus through dance, Shen Yun aims to bring to life legends and heroes from China’s long and rich history and to tell stories from the present day as well.
Mr. Steuer mentioned that some of the dances depict oppression. These dances tell the story of China today, a place where people of faith are persecuted by the communist regime.
Another type of dance showcased by Shen Yun is folk dance from some of the many ethnic groups there. Mr. Steuer found these very creative.
He marveled at the digitally animated backdrops which seem to interact with the performers. He said that they’re “like nothing else I’ve seen before, so I like how they combine the visual effects with the dancing with the music.”
He would recommend Shen Yun to others because the programs feature presentations of several art forms.
As the website puts it, “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.”
Reporting by Valerie Avore and Sharon Kilarski
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.
