PRAGUE—Shen Yun took to the stage at the Prague Congress Center in display of China’s 5,000 years of uninterrupted culture. In attendance was Vaclav Novotny, a councilman for culture translation, who said he felt Prague is all the better for hosting the company.
“I especially think it enriched the Prague culture program,” he said. “I’m glad we had the chance, because it’s not so usual. After all, it’s something different than we are used to—the depth of 5,000 years.”
Despite the immaculate portrayal of something as rich and profound as China’s ancient culture, Mr. Novotny said that viewers are only able to scratch the surface of something much more meaningful that’s taking place on stage. “Yet we probably don’t know the philosophy that created it because, for now, we are just spectators,” he explained.
According to Shen Yun’s website, “Through expression of bearing and form, beautiful dance movements bring out the inner meaning of intrinsic thoughts and feelings, reflecting the peculiarities of human nature, the standard for human conduct, moral concepts, mental state, one’s value system, and so on.”
“I believe you can experience it as well, but we are more spectators than anything,” Mr. Novotny added.
As for Shen Yun’s bel canto soloists, Mr. Novotny said he was impressed by their superb level of technicality. “They are great; they are trained. They sing just amazingly,” he concluded.
Also in attendance for the evening’s performance was Martin Bursík, Czech Republic’s former minister of environment.
“It was a great experience. The perfectionism appealed to me so much that I even doubted whether it was possible at all,” he said. “It was a message—an expression of aspiration to keep the culture, which is not being preserved, and develop it further—developing all aspects of life in China.”
“Over its past 60 years of rule, the communist regime has treated traditional Chinese values—centered on the idea of harmony between heaven and earth—as a threat to its existence,” reads Shen Yun’s website. “And in its systematic campaigns like the Cultural Revolution, it has uprooted traditional beliefs and destroyed ancient treasures bringing traditional 5,000 years of civilization to the brink of extinction.”
Mr. Bursík also commented that he was happy to see the performance take place in the same center where the former Communist Party of Czechoslovakia used to hold their party congresses. He said that such a significance left him with a “terrific impression.”
With reporting by NTD Television and Michael Fitzgerald
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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