SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun Performing Arts Wraps Up 2023 World Tour Amidst Audience Praise and Acclaim

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Shen Yun Performing Arts Wraps Up 2023 World Tour Amidst Audience Praise and Acclaim
The audience at Shen Yun Performing Arts' evening show at Auditorio Nacional, in Mexico, on May 6, 2023. The Epoch Times

GUADALAJARA, Mexico—On May 10, Shen Yun Performing Arts concluded its last show of the 2023 season at Conjunto Santander Artes Escenicas in Mexico.

From December 2022 to May 2023, Shen Yun’s eight equally-sized companies traveled across five continents to deliver the beauty of traditional Chinese culture worldwide.

The artists were met with overwhelming welcome and acclaim throughout the nearly 200 cities they visited.

Paul Baumbach, Delaware State Representative (R), with Shen Yun conductor Ying Chen at the Miller Theatre, in Philadelphia, on the evening of April 13, 2023. (NTD)
Paul Baumbach, Delaware State Representative (R), with Shen Yun conductor Ying Chen at the Miller Theatre, in Philadelphia, on the evening of April 13, 2023. NTD
“[The show] gave you warmth inside to watch it,” Delaware state Rep. Paul Baumbach said. “When you have uplifting experiences like the Shen Yun performance, it helps you remember that there is so much good in life.”

He was amazed by “the athleticism and the skill [of the artists] that came from a lifetime of study, devotion, and dedication.”

“It was tremendous to watch and just plain awe-inspiring.”

Shen Yun dancers are highly trained in classical Chinese dance. Dating back thousands of years, it is one of the most athletic and expressive art forms in the world.

Taiwanese dance instructor Weiwei Huang was moved to tears as she sat in the audience watching Shen Yun.

Dance instructor Weiwen Huang attended Shen Yun’s matinee at the Tainan Cultural Center Performing Hall, in Taiwan, on March 10, 2023. (Annie Gong/The Epoch Times)
Dance instructor Weiwen Huang attended Shen Yun’s matinee at the Tainan Cultural Center Performing Hall, in Taiwan, on March 10, 2023. Annie Gong/The Epoch Times

“Their dance skills are of such a high caliber, and they were so synchronized. That’s something all of us dancers continuously strive for but can’t achieve. I want to learn from them,” she said.

Shen Yun “is an expression of the essence and heart of so many artists—the divine must be helping them. They transcend the human world.”

This sentiment was reiterated by Bollywood choreographer Honey Kalaria, who attended a performance at London’s Eventim Apollo.

“It brings so much pleasure to the audience member just to see the gracefulness. It’s like they’re floating … They were absolutely phenomenal. 11 out of 10.”

Honey Kalaria enjoyed Shen Yun at the Eventim Apollo, in London, on the evening of April 20, 2023. (NTD)
Honey Kalaria enjoyed Shen Yun at the Eventim Apollo, in London, on the evening of April 20, 2023. NTD

Former New Zealand deputy prime minister Winston Peters was at a Shen Yun performance in Auckland. He loved every aspect of it. The performance was “brilliant … extraordinary, [and] professionally done,” he said.

“This was a very excellent example of thousands of years of Chinese history and drama … a marvelous imaging and portraying of a critical part of the history of this world.”

Winston Peters, Leader of NZ First, at the Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre, in Auckland, on April 20, 2023. (NTD)
Winston Peters, Leader of NZ First, at the Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre, in Auckland, on April 20, 2023. NTD

Based in New York, Shen Yun Performing Arts is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company. It was established in 2006 by leading Chinese artists who had fled persecution of their faith by China’s communist regime.

Following the bloody communist takeover in 1947, Chinese culture suffered through a period of mass destruction.

Now in the free world, these artists are seeking to revive the nation’s 5,000 years of divinely inspired culture and raise awareness for the human rights issues still ongoing in modern-day China.

For the artists’ commitment to bringing back traditional culture, Italian Councilor Giampiero Leo said Shen Yun is worthy of a Nobel Prize.

Giampiero Leo enjoyed Shen Yun's evening performance at Teatro Regio di Torino, in Italy, on April 18, 2023. (NTD)
Giampiero Leo enjoyed Shen Yun's evening performance at Teatro Regio di Torino, in Italy, on April 18, 2023. NTD

“It was moving, exciting—I would not use the word ‘performance,’ [it’s] too modest. It’s a masterpiece,” he exclaimed.

“The show touched on many things that are bygone—chivalry, heroism, the strength of non-violence. It is not cowardice because they are prepared to endure the risks. Shen Yun is bringing that message to the world.”

Cuban human rights activist Rosa Maria Paya, too, believes Shen Yun is an “immense win for the public.”

“It projects an image of China that is unknown for many,” and it is “rescuing values and history that many in the world just ignore,” she said.

“I really love the fact that they’re not only sharing the history of China but also talking to us about what is going on in China right now. That, for me, has immense value.”
Cuban human rights activist Rosa Maria Paya attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at Adrienne Arsht Center, in Miami, on Dec. 29, 2022. (NTD)
Cuban human rights activist Rosa Maria Paya attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at Adrienne Arsht Center, in Miami, on Dec. 29, 2022. NTD
Shen Yun tours with a live orchestra. It is the first in the world to permanently combine Western and Chinese instruments within an orchestra.

Using classical Western orchestration as the foundation, Shen Yun’s original compositions highlight traditional Chinese instruments such as the two-stringed erhu and the pipa—an ancient Chinese lute. It brings to the audience the best of both worlds.

Sharon Lee (L) at the Shen Yun Performing Arts performance at First Ontario Concert Hall in Hamilton, Canada, on March 21, 2023. (NTD)
Sharon Lee (L) at the Shen Yun Performing Arts performance at First Ontario Concert Hall in Hamilton, Canada, on March 21, 2023. NTD

Sharon Lee, a co-artistic director of the Toronto Concert Orchestra, was wowed by this unique combination.

“It was beautiful. The orchestra sounded lovely. So well-balanced between the music and the dance—it was a delight to watch. The compositions sounded like they were historically informed and they really evoked that history.”
Giorgio Casciarri attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Teatro degli Arcimboldi in Milan, Italy, on April 25, 2023. (NTD)
Giorgio Casciarri attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Teatro degli Arcimboldi in Milan, Italy, on April 25, 2023. NTD
In the words of renowned Italian tenor Giorgio Casciarri, “This production transpires like a fairytale, and the choreography is beautiful,“ he said. ”But more than that, it was a bridge to the divine.”

“I want to say ‘keep it up’ to the artistic director because he does not need advice. I want to congratulate him for having such a wonderful team of artists,” he added.

This idea was echoed by award-winning architect Robert Dale Lynch, who said adamantly as he stepped out of the theater, “You can have heaven on earth if you live your life the way Shen Yun is portraying it.”

Robert Dale Lynch enjoyed Shen Yun Performing Arts at the George Mason University Center for the Arts, on Jan. 21, 2023. (NTD)
Robert Dale Lynch enjoyed Shen Yun Performing Arts at the George Mason University Center for the Arts, on Jan. 21, 2023. NTD
Alongside classical Chinese, folk, and ethnic dances, as well as solo musical performances, Shen Yun offers story-based pieces that recount tales from ancient times to the modern-day.

This year, it included iconic scenes taken from the Chinese literary classics “Journey to the West,” “Romance of the Three Kingdoms,” and other memorable moments in Chinese history.

Paul Fletcher, an Australian federal member of parliament, enjoyed Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Sydney Lyric Theatre in Sydney, Australia, on April 27, 2023. (NTD)
Paul Fletcher, an Australian federal member of parliament, enjoyed Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Sydney Lyric Theatre in Sydney, Australia, on April 27, 2023. NTD

“[Shen Yun] is a compelling package that’s very entertaining, very informative, quite thought-provoking, and well worth seeing,” expressed Australian federal MP Paul Fletcher.

Referring to Shen Yun’s animated digital backdrop, he said, “The merging of very sophisticated modern multimedia technology with the performers on stage is extremely effective and very cleverly done.”

Oscar-winning film producer Tony Mark would agree.

“I think the use of the screen is brilliant—really brilliant. The way they’ve used [it] is very unusual. They’ve timed it so beautifully—the actors moved in and out of the screen perfectly. It’s like a magic trick but done quite brilliantly,” Mr. Mark said.

Tony Mark enjoys Shen Yun's opening night at Lincoln Center in New York on April 6, 2023. (Frank Liang/The Epoch Times)
Tony Mark enjoys Shen Yun's opening night at Lincoln Center in New York on April 6, 2023. Frank Liang/The Epoch Times
According to its website, Shen Yun’s innovative digital technology creates seamless interaction between the backdrop projection and the performers on stage.

“By extending the stage to infinite realms,” this patented 3D invention brings to the audience “storytelling without limits.”

President of the Korean Baduk Federation, Seo Hyoseok, too, was delighted by this creative technology. “It was amazing and very entertaining to see!”

This year marks Mr. Hyoseok’s third time watching Shen Yun, and he was very touched by the traditional values the artists presented.
Seo Hyoseok attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at the National Theater of Korea on Feb. 18, 2023. (Dai Deman/The Epoch Times)
Seo Hyoseok attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at the National Theater of Korea on Feb. 18, 2023. Dai Deman/The Epoch Times

“The principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance—these principles can bring peace to people’s hearts, eliminate hate, and fill our hearts with compassion,” he said.

“This is a culture China can be proud of. I hope Shen Yun’s performance can purify people’s hearts.”

Every year, the performing arts company will return with a brand-new set of choreography, stories, and original compositions.

So, for both new and returning audiences, every trip to Shen Yun is a magical surprise.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
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