JEONJU, South Korea—For Gimchun Jin, Shen Yun’s performance seemed to take him beyond the boundary between the divine and the human worlds.
“The artistry of the performance has reached the realm of gods. It makes one feel the heaven and the human worlds coexist,” he said. “Heaven kind of speaks to you when seeing the show.”
Mr. Jin, member of the South Korean Parliament, was inspired after seeing Shen Yun’s performance at Sori Arts Center on the afternoon of May 1.
“I was just happy at every moment during the show,” Mr. Jin said with a smile as he recollected his experience.
Shen Yun primarily performs Chinese dance, in which male dancers show masculine vigor and female dancers express feminine gracefulness. Seeing Shen Yun for the first time, Mr. Jin was amazed by the beauty represented in the show. “It manifested the sublime elegance and beauty of femininity,” he said.
He praised Shen Yun crafts the art with the essence of culture in its production, bringing back the sincerity harbored by people in ancient times for dance.
Mr. Jin believed Shen Yun had tapped into the “greatest potential” of Chinese culture—putting on stage historical stories and legends. And according him, Shen Yun is second to none in making such a leap from history to arts.
Shen Yun’s website states, “China’s deep cultural traditions are contained in classical Chinese dance, allowing its movements to be richly expressive, such that the personalities and feelings of characters can be portrayed with unparalleled clarity.”
Among the mini dramas portraying Chinese historical stories and legends, Mr. Jin was most impressed by “Defending the Throne.” Learning that at the age of 16, Emperor Kangxi (1654--1722) of the Qing Dynasty defeated a battle-hardened general after his throne, he admired the young emperor’s determination and courage.
The positive message transmitted by the piece uplifted him and gave him the feeling of forseeing a good future. “Emperor Kangxi’s determination to overcome difficulties and the way he defeated the general manifested in the show seemed to bring hope for the future,” he said.
Mr. Jin thought Shen Yun’s artistic achievement was bound to bring the world a new era in art forms. “Shen Yun simply sits atop all forms of ethnic and folk arts and it will guide the world in art and culture.”
“It is an epic achievement,” he said.
Mr. Jin showed his appreciation to Shen Yun Performing Arts Company for their hard work and dedication: “I want to express my deep respect and gratitude for the efforts the company takes to create such authentic arts.”
Reporting by Lee Mi-Kyung and Sunny Chao
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.
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.
