LAS VEGAS—Olivier Clavel got caught up in the enthusiasm and deep appreciation for Shen Yun that is not uncommon among those who see the performance: “I loved it, absolutely beautiful! I think it’s the best show I’ve seen in years.”
Mr. Clavel, a native of France, and his wife, Carolina, a native of Latin America, are both affiliated with the University of Las Vegas (UNLV). They watch live shows frequently throughout the year, and attended opening night for Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company on Jan. 21. at Reynolds Hall, The Smith Center for the Performing Arts.
Shen Yun Performing Arts is a non-profit organization, based in upstate New York. Every year they bring their audiences a new show to share the legends, myths, and traditional culture of ancient China and some important segments about the courage of the persecuted practitioners of Falun Gong, a peaceful self-cultivation practice, in today’s communist China. Shen Yun’s website explains, “Shen Yun cannot be seen in China today, where traditional culture has been nearly lost.”
Mr. Clavel pointed out, “You know nowadays it’s hard to get information from China and the reality there. It was interesting to see their perspective, an unfiltered perspective of China. The history of China, not just China 5,000 years ago, but also the more recent China.”
“There’s no way for them to go back to China at this point, because of what they portray on the stage,” he added.
Ancient Chinese culture has been traditionally considered to be divinely inspired. Traditional, ancient cultures around the world have a history of integrating spirituality into their art and society.
“From what I understand, a lot of their emperors come from heaven and the morals come from heaven, so everything that is passed to the people is from their emperor,” said Mrs. Clavel. “I thought it was very noble and compassionate, and it’s very nice to see what they portray. But also they have a sense of ... an idea that in heaven everything is going to be better, keep going and try, you'll get to a better place.”
Depth, heart, and focused training all make up the dazzling beauty that Shen Yun artists bring to each show. Their website highlights this: “For them, this spiritual connection is motivation for striving to excel, is the heart behind each movement of the dancer and each note of the musician.”
“I loved it. The costumes were beautiful and the colors were amazing. The precision of the dancers was also very, very impressive,” said Mrs. Clavel.
Shen Yun provides a veritable feast for the eyes of the audiences.
“For me it was definitely the colors,” said Mr. Clavel. “I’m very much a visual person, and the choreography was amazing. The way everything was synchronized between the screen, the actors, and the dancers—it was incredible. It was seamless, everything was flowing. Amazing, it was just amazing.”
Reporting by Steve Xu and Cheryl Casati
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.
