FRANKFURT, Germany—Each attendee at a Shen Yun Performing Arts performance has a different, positive reaction to what is portrayed on stage. Saturday’s show at Frankfurt’s Jahrhunderthalle was no exception.
Regine Ehrentraut, event manager for the Frankfurter Allgemeinen Zeitung [General Newspaper], took in the Saturday matinee and had nothing but praise for the dancers’ technical and acrobatic skills.
The New York based Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company. Chinese classical dance has a vast training system encompassing bearing, techniques and form. Ms. Ehrentraut was very impressed with the culture the dancers portrayed on the stage.
“An unbelievable achievement, these acrobatics—something we are unfamiliar with from European-style ballet, but the charm and grace and immense energy was enchanting.”
The Shen Yun performance was accompanied by a life orchestra, which combined Eastern and Western instruments, throughout the show. The tones elicited by the different instruments were a pleasure to the ear, as told by many in the audience.
Music imbues Ms. Ehrentraut with joy for life, and makes her feel alive. Therefore, she sat close to the orchestra pit and watched the musicians play.
“I like to observe the musicians and their instruments, a child-like enthusiasm I can indulge,” she said.
She was able to ferret out the non-Western instruments, finding the erhu most unique and impressive, though playing it looks complicated.
The drum dance was exceptional in her eyes. “Such virtuosity—the acrobatic segment, the energy, charm and grace, to unite these in one segment is remarkable. And the drums that were interspersed, an additional accomplishment on top of the dancing. Amazing!”
Thinking of all the scenes she remembered “The Monk and the Robbers scene was harmonious ... The emphasis was on the whole group, not merely on the individual dancers; even if one momentarily sticks out, it does not detract from the whole.”
Ms. Ehrentraut would recommend the show “to all who are curious and open minded, and are looking for something besides the customary musical and colorful interludes.”
Reporting by Rainer Wagner and Christina Riveland
The New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
