DAEGU, South Korea–Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company’s beautiful performance caused a sensation in the South Korean art community. After watching the third Shen Yun performance in Daegu on the afternoon of Feb. 27, Ms. Han Jee Ahn, founder of Han Jee Ahn Dance School, said that if she were asked to describe Shen Yun in words, she would have to say it is “the consummation of art!”
After her parents mentioned the show to her, Ms. Han came to Daegu all the way from Daejeon with her husband and children to watch Shen Yun. She said that she originally did not hold much expectation, but after watching the show, she could not help but admire the excellence of the performance. She really wanted to express her appreciation with a standing ovation. Even sitting in her seat, she said she raised her hands high up to applaud.
Having had a dance career herself, Ms. Han paid special attention to the stage equipment, performers’ dance skills and associated composition elements. She said that the performers’ presentation is much better than what she had expected. The feeling brought by every performer’s facial expression is very nice.
She said that generally performers spend lots of effort in order to show their skills during dancing. Once on stage, they are under tremendous pressure and sometimes they even appear as being tired. However, Shen Yun performers can always dance so naturally and cheerfully even in such a lengthy performance process. At the same time, the skills they demonstrate and what is reflected from their soul looks really nice. “I really wanted to stand up to applaud. Anyway, I applauded really hard.”
The backdrop amazed Ms. Han. In South Korea, they normally use props. It is the first time that she has seen such a performance. “Using the backdrop as the base, the animation displayed brings a dynamic feeling,” Ms. Han said, “At the same time, the coordination between the performers and the backdrop is really incredible. Looking from every perspective, the performance is profound and very good.”
Renowned Music Instrument Maker: Erhu Performance is Enchanting
At 19 years of age, Mr. Pyo had already become the top “stringed instrument specialist” in South Korea. After spending 30 years in this career, he heard of Shen Yun through friends.
He and his wife then spent two hours driving from Daejeon to Daegu. He said, “As soon as I heard others talking about Shen Yun, I thought it was good. When I come to see it in person, I feel even more interested. The performance is refined and compact, very nice. The Miao dance that carries the sound of water droplets is sweet. The story of Splitting the Mountain is also very nice. It is very good overall. The performance of the hosts is also very appealing.”
Mr. Pyo said, “(I) really want to recommend the Shen Yun performance to other instrument specialists at the Daegu Intangible Cultural Festival.”
As an expert in making musical instrument, Mr. Pyo shared his views about instruments and music. “Western instruments have many differences from our traditional instruments. Each has its own characteristics. Overall, the music makes people feel very relaxed and dynamic. The tone the Chinese erhu plays is very low, and it sounds so enchanting.”
Mr. Pyo said, “I learned about Falun Gong for the first time through the performance. It has been reported that Falun Gong has suffered persecution for over 10 years. Such a thing should not exist. Shen Yun presented the Falun Gong practitioners’ perseverance in their faith very well through performing arts. The costumes are neat and tidy. There is the use of a lot of silk, making people feel very comfortable.”
Originally, Mr. Pyo had an appointment with a friend and he thought he might not be able to see the performance today, but he canceled the appointment. He is very proud of seeing the Shen Yun performance before his friend.
“Now I can ‘show off’ to that friend,” Mr. Pyo said, “and talk to him about Shen Yun. I will definitely recommend to him to come and watch the show.”
For more information, please visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
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