SEOUL, South Korea—On the evening of Feb. 17, Shen Yun completed its fourth sold-out performance at the National Theater of Korea. Chang Seokyong, the president of South Korea’s Association of Art Critics, had high praise for the artists.
“If you’re looking to understand the spirit of Asia or attain success in the art world, you must first see Shen Yun,” he exclaimed.
“From Manchuria to Tibet, the performance showcased the diverse regions and cultures of China. Though we may never travel to those places in person, we got a chance to learn about them through the performance. That makes me very happy,” he said. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to learn about the history and traditional culture. I’m really thankful to Shen Yun for that.”
As an art critic, Mr. Chang has seen many performances in his lifetime and is familiar with all forms of art. “Shen Yun was perfect and very creative. In terms of how it’s structured and the performers’ technical skills—it is first-rate. Just by looking at them, you can tell they’ve gone through rigorous training.”
For thousands of years, Chinese people believed that their culture was a gift of the divine. This echoed Mr. Chang’s own beliefs.
“Dance and the arts are all methods for people to get closer to the divine. It doesn’t matter if you’re in China or Korea, it’s all the same—dance is a way for humans to communicate with the heavens. This is a prevalent knowledge in the art world,” he said.
Since its advent in 2006, Shen Yun has grown to become a global sensation with eight equally sized companies set to perform in more than 180 cities this season.
“It’s such a pity! I can’t understand it at all,” Mr. Chang lamented. “This is something that Chinese people should all see—they need it, they must watch this performance!”
“People must know what’s going on in the world. Regardless if it’s a belief or a political ideology, only when people truly understand what’s happening can they be objective in their judgments and decisions.”
An Kyuchul, the president of South Korea’s Solar Tech Development Association, couldn’t agree more.
“I’ve attended many performances when I traveled to China, but none of them can compare with Shen Yun. They’re not of the same caliber at all, it’s beyond comparison,” he said. “In terms of quality and depth, Shen Yun is on a much higher level. I love that.”
Also in the audience on the evening of Feb. 17 was South Korean poet and literary critic Lee Sihwan. He, too, was astounded by what he saw.
“It made me feel like I traveled back in time,” he said. “By combining China’s 5,000 years of culture with modern technology, Shen Yun has produced something that’s completely unique. I think it’s very interesting.”
For Mr. Lee, a good performance must be well-balanced. It must have a clear contrast between the slow and the fast, the powerful and the gentle.
Mr. Lee will definitely be recommending Shen Yun to his friends.
“Shen Yun is swimming against the current in this modern society. The performance puts a pause on our busy lives and forced us to stop and think. Our heart and soul got a much-needed rest—that’s very meaningful.”
