BRUSSELS—After Vienna and London, Shen Yun Performing Arts, a company of classical Chinese dancers and musicians, is back in Brussels for the new season. The European capital had the chance to enjoy the dances last Monday in Théâtre National where they will play until Friday.
Mike Miller works for the Canadian Royal Navy. He recognized and liked all the effort and work from each dancer on stage: “You could see there was a lot of work put into the production, especially in the costumes and the core sets,” he said.
The costumes are handmade for each dancer. “Shen Yun’s costume artists collect countless designs of traditional attire, ranging from those of emperors, ministers, and generals to the everyday clothing of the common people,” according to Shen Yun’s website.
Mike Miller was also very touched by the artists and their passion: “To see so many young people in the times that we’re in now, performing such an ancient art form, and you can tell they really put a lot of work into studying something that maybe isn’t as current as what you see on TV right now,” he found this incredible.
From what Mike Miller says, the young artists must have been through a good deal of self-reflection to be able to immerse themselves in a traditional culture with such a good result: “I think they’ve really done a good job,” the Royal Canadian Navy Member said, coming form a military institution known for its discipline and respect of hierarchy.
He could feel ancient culture through the moves expressed from the dancers and this is, for him, is something you can’t find anymore in modern art.
He is speaking of Yun, something very special to classical Chinese dance, expressed from the dancers through their dances and moves, which represents the soul of the dancer. It has a deep meaning. Yun is something that gives beauty and expression in classical Chinese dance.
It is due to Yun that Shen Yun can depict all the stories coming from Chinese literature and popular legends.
Mike Miller also liked the Monkey King scene, coming from the very well-known Journey to the West stories, which tell of the traveling of a monk to find Buddhist scriptures in India and bring them back in China. The monkey King, Sun Wukong, is in charge to guide him and protect him in this journey, according to the program notes.
This story, along with others stories told by Shen Yun, is set by a digital screen behind the dancers. Mike Miller was very impressed by this technique: “The effects of that was really good, when it was choreographed to the music so that it interacted with the screen. That was the first time you really saw it. I don’t want to give away the surprise, but it was nice to see,” he said.
The digital screen is an unique technology that lets viewers discover the fabulous landscapes of China and is coordinated to interact with the dancers on stage.
Mike Miller liked the whole program very much and told us with a luminous look in his eyes: “It was definitely worth coming to see!”
Reporting by NTD Television
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
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