WELLINGTON, New Zealand—The first thing Government analyst, Phillip Toye noticed about the dancers in Shen Yun Performing Art’s production was the dancers’ joy in their art form. It showed in their expression, he said. “There was a real joy in the performance so I really liked that.”
Mr. Toye works for the Ministry of Economic Development as a Government Relations and Public Policy Consultant.
He was somewhat familiar with Chinese culture previously but after seeing Shen Yun’s different scene portrayals, including the musical score and digital backdrops providing context for the story telling, he felt the myths and legends come to life.
“It was a really visual performance; giving an insight into the culture,” he said.
Mr. Toye thought “it was good” Shen Yun had a desire to keep traditional Chinese culture alive.
The Shen Yun website states, “With state-of-the-art graphics technology, Shen Yun’s digital-backdrop team creates vividly animated settings, extending the stage and transporting the audience to a world where heaven and earth are one.”
“The use of the multimedia stuff was really spectacular, the way they did that I thought was really very cool,” he said.
Shen Yun’s Performing Arts company’s mission is to revive the traditions of the ancient culture which embodied moral principles for daily life along with a reverence for the heavens.
Mr. Toye commented on this aspect saying, “It obviously had a really strong thread of philosophy and spirituality which went through it. [That] was quite interesting. … the creation aspect, you have a creator that works and we are all connected in some way.”
Mr. Toye was referring to the opening sequence called “Grand Descent of the Deities” which depicts divine beings dancing in a celestial paradise with serene Buddhas watching the scene.
China was once known as the Divine Land, its glorious culture is said to have come down from the heavens.
Wrapping up Mr. Toye said he would tell his friends to come and see Shen Yun.
“I think that it’s really worth seeing. Yes, [it’s] really, really good,” he said.
“I thought it was just really enjoyable, I thought the athleticism of the dancers, I thought was really fantastic as well”
Shen Yun has one more performance at St. James Theatre on Wednesday, April 9.
Reporting by Margo MacVicar and Judy Shakespear
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.
