SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun ‘Presents Humanity’s Deepest Emotions by Using the Arts,’ Says Korean Dance Researcher

Feb 09, 2023
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Shen Yun ‘Presents Humanity’s Deepest Emotions by Using the Arts,’ Says Korean Dance Researcher
Ms. Kim Na-young, the chairwoman of the Korea Traditional Dance Association Andong City Branch and the president of the Ahree Art Company, attends Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Gumi Arts Center–Grand Hall in Gumi, South Korea, on Feb. 8, 2023. (Kim Guk-hwan/The Epoch Times)

GUMI, South Korea—Korean audiences praised Shen Yun Performing Arts for bringing hope and happiness to people, and on Feb. 8 some said the performance was so amazing there was nothing else like it on earth.

At the Gumi Arts Center–Grand Hall in Gumi on the evening of Feb. 8, New York-based Shen Yun finished the second of its two shows in the city.

“Shen Yun presents humanity’s deepest emotions by using the arts,” said Ms. Kim Na-young, the chairwoman of the Korea Traditional Dance Association Andong City Branch and the president of the Ahree Art Company.

Ms. Kim said Shen Yun has many dances that deliver rich content and culture. She was touched by Shen Yun’s high quality.

“All the male dancers and female dancers are outstanding. They must have received long-term hard training. Their skills are well-trained. We, theatergoers, can feel they dance with an extremely honest heart,” she said. “As an artist, I resonated with Shen Yun artists’ sincerity and enthusiasm. I’m very happy to attend this performance.”

Ms. Kim said she had attended Shen Yun several times. Each time, she found the performance is better than before, with higher techniques and greater design.

“I admire the artistic director. He must have a formidable ability,” she said.

New York-based Shen Yun is the world’s top classical Chinese dance company, and has a mission to show the beauty and goodness of “China before communism.” For 5,000 years China’s civilization was built on values and virtues from the spiritual teachings of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism.
Shen Yun Performing Arts World Company’s curtain call at the Gumi Arts Center–Grand Hall in Gumi, South Korea, on Feb. 8, 2023. (Kim Guk-hwan/The Epoch Times)
Shen Yun Performing Arts World Company’s curtain call at the Gumi Arts Center–Grand Hall in Gumi, South Korea, on Feb. 8, 2023. (Kim Guk-hwan/The Epoch Times)

‘100 Percent Perfect Performance’

Ms. Lee Sung-a, a Korean dancer, was amazed at Shen Yun.

“This is a 100 percent perfect performance. I feel Shen Yun is amazing,” she said. “This large-scale show is hard to perform. But so many artists coordinate with each other perfectly!”

Ms. Lee paid a lot of attention to the Shen Yun dancers.

“Their bodies’ expressive skills are extraordinary. They all have superb techniques. Their physical foundations are so great. I was deeply awed,” she said.

Ms. Lee said that, for a dancing ensemble, it’s hard to get dancers synchronized, but Shen Yun pulled it off flawlessly.

“I was very impressed that all Shen Yun dancers looked of similar build. When they move, no matter using their legs, arms, or bodies, they all synchronized accurately,” she said. “I could feel they must have put tons of effort to make this happen.”

Ms. Lee praised the live orchestra’s musicians.

“The live orchestra’s playing exactly matched the dances. All beats matched,” she said. “I don’t think this is just because of the dancers. It really needs the musicians to work very hard to coordinate with the dancers.”

Each Shen Yun performance consists of nearly 20 vignettes, presented through highly-expressive art forms such as classical Chinese dance, original orchestral music performed live, soloists who sing in the bel canto tradition, animated digital backdrops, and more.

Ms. Lee talked a lot about the beauty of Shen Yun’s costumes and backdrop which brought her to different ancient Chinese dynasties, and she also appreciated Shen Yun’s brightness.

“This is very unique. The whole stage of Shen Yun is bright from the beginning to the end,” she said. “The backdrop works closely with the dancers like one body, which is astounding! And the backdrop kept on playing. I felt like I was transported to different spaces in the two hours.”
Ms. Lee said she admires Shen Yun a lot, and she felt very glad that she had the chance to attend Shen Yun in South Korea.

Scenes of the Divine

Ms. Cho Ran-young, a hotel president, said “Shen Yun is magnificent. It’s not like a performance from our human world.”

“There were scenes in Shen Yun where divine beings came down from heaven. They are very, very touching. My heart thumped, thumped, thumped when I saw these,” she said. “It’s so beautiful. Actually, some of the dances are similar to our Korean dance. Shen Yun dancers danced excellently. It’s great.”

Ms. Cho said she appreciated a lot of the meanings that Shen Yun delivered.

“The last dance told us that human beings should live by following the moral codes,” she said. “[I agree], we humans must live according to human morality.”

Shen Yun Performing Arts World Company has finished all two performances in Gumi. Next week, it will perform in Seoul, the capital city.

Reporting by Epoch Times Staff in Gumi, South Korea.
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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