Shen Yun ‘Exceptional’ and ‘Breathtaking’: Corporate VP
Apr 08, 2023
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Tabatha Ramsay enjoyed Shen Yun at Adelaide's Festival Theatre on the evening of April 8, 2023. (NTD)
ADELAIDE, Australia—It was the first time Tabatha Ramsay attended Shen Yun Performing Arts on the evening of April 8.
“It’s been absolutely breathtaking,” said Ramsay of her experience during intermission.
She had recently returned from Thailand, where she is the Vice President Commercial of Central Hospitality International. The Central Group is the country’s largest retail conglomerate and largest employer.
Ramsay described the show as “exceptional,” calling Shen Yun artists “extremely talented individuals.”
Founded in 2006, New York-based Shen Yun now has eight companies touring simultaneously around the world with a mission to showcase the grandeur, the depth, and the diversity of five millennia of Chinese civilization, which was once almost lost due to destruction under communism.
Ramsay was impressed by Shen Yun, which she said as a “combination” gave a “whole experience of taking a cultural journey to different areas of China.”
According to Shen Yun, “Art carries the very DNA of a civilization, and can bring the brilliance and wisdom of a lost culture back to life.
“To make this possible, we have pushed the boundaries of performing arts. We combine ancient legends with technological innovations, and historically authentic costumes with breathtaking animated backdrops.
“We let classical Chinese dance do the storytelling, and share with you beautifully diverse ethnic and folk traditions. Filled with an enchanting orchestral sound, this is a mesmerizing experience you won’t find anywhere else.”
Ramsay said the animated digital backdrops were “entertaining” and “helps you feel like you’re moving through the different performances.”
Shen Yun’s backdrop, grounded in state-of-the-art graphics technology, provides striking scenery, extending the stage, and at times interacting with the dancers on the stage while bringing the audience into the story.
Ramsay almost picked a Shen Yun performance set in the Himalayas as her favourite piece, but decided that it was Shen Yun’s depiction of the Monkey King that stood out to her the most.
“Growing up in Australia on the ABC, they always had the performance of the magic monkey. So I do feel like it’s probably a story that’s slightly embedded in our culture and my upbringing ... I found it quite entertaining,” she said, describing how the backdrop enabled Monkey King’s magical acts and transformations.
“I loved the way Monkey was able to leap into the cave and change into his different characters.”
Ramsay said she would “absolutely” recommend Shen Yun to others.
“I think that if anyone wants to come and have an amazing cultural experience and learn a little bit more about the diversity throughout China, which is vast, this is definitely a way to begin having an understanding of the culture and the history that China has.”
Shen Yun Shows that ‘Truth is Eternal’
Kosta Avgoustinos (R) enjoyed Shen Yun at Festival Theatre in Adelaide, Australia, on the evening of April 8, 2023. (Steve Xu/The Epoch Times)
On the same night, Kosta Avgoustinos, a manager at a car dealership in Adelaide, described Shen Yun as “world class” after seeing the performance for the first time.
“It was just amazing to watch the choreography. And the way it was all synchronised, it was really well put together,“ Avgoustinos said. He found himself clapping during the dances ”because some of the moves were just so amazing. They were just really impressive, so we wanted to applaud them.”
“The choreography was so good that the story flowed and was easy to understand,” he added.
While he loved all of Shen Yun’s kaleidoscope of vignettes, Avgoustinos noted that his favorite piece was the soprano’s performance and the message conveyed through her song. Although he doesn’t know Chinese, he was able to read the lyrics of the song translated into English on the backdrop.
Shen Yun’s vocal soloists perform in the bel canto tradition with piano accompaniment. The songs and lyrics are original works, and are different each year. The song texts are imbued with philosophical reflections about human life and contain deep layers of meaning, according to Shen Yun.
Avgoustinos said that he resonated with the message of the song delivered on Saturday night.
“My interpretation [of the lyrics] is pretty much how I feel about the world today—that we are losing ourselves as human beings and we’re getting stuck in our material ways. So I think the message was powerful and I think it was relevant.”
The same message, he noted, was depicted in the finale of the show, “It was just really powerful and awakening.”
“What I learned [from tonight’s show] is that we need to remain humble as human beings and we need to be grateful and respectful, and I think that we are losing a lot of that in our modern society,” Avgoustinos shared.
“It was really great to see the heritage and the background of the stories, and that it shows that truth is eternal, and the message lasts through generations.”
