SAN FRANCISCO—When Melissah Jensen, a youth leader, lived in Hong Kong, she would see posters and hear talk about human rights abuses against Falun Gong happening in mainland China.
Falun Gong Story in Classical Chinese Dance
So when Jensen saw Falun Gong brought up in one story-dance in Shen Yun Performing Arts, she was pleased and surprised.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJ-A6xY47jc
What is Shen Yun?
Shen Yun was formed in New York a dozen years ago, by artists who wished to revive the authentic traditional Chinese culture and share it with the world. This is a 5,000-year-old culture steeped in spirituality, with principles like respect for the divine and harmony between heaven and earth among the cornerstone beliefs of millennia, and the arts that come from this culture—like classical Chinese dance—reflect that.Shen Yun Cannot Be Seen in China
So perhaps it’s no surprise that Shen Yun—whose program consists of ancient myths and legends, as well as stories portraying this traditional culture in the modern day—is not allowed to perform in China.“They are portraying something that’s happening, something that’s going on that’s been hidden,” Jensen said. “You know, it brings light to something that should have light shone upon it.”
Despite the heavy topics some stories deal with, the show Jensen saw was far from dark.
When the curtains first rose, she remembered light, and the beauty of color.
“The colors and the movements—it’s beautiful,” she said.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHBoExmSC4U
Through classical Chinese dance, a unique orchestra combining Chinese and Western instruments, and an animated backdrop, the audience is transported from celestial palaces to the Mongolian grasslands, and even to the moon.
Universal Value
Flip Hassett, now retired, has spent his career on the betterment of his community. Most recently, he was executive director of nonprofit United Way, in Merced County.“It’s very positive, very positive,” Hassett said. “[It’s] very spiritual, very tied to the universe, and it’s wonderful.”
Through stories and glimpses into history, Shen Yun uses dance to bring alive a culture with values like benevolence and justice, wisdom and propriety. These traditions and traditional values inspired Hassett.
“I wish the whole world would do that,” Hassett said.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjB8jYxhe6M
“The vibrancy, the energy, the color—I am just fascinated with what they interpret with dance,” he said. “You just feel it.”
There was an energy on stage that emanated into the audience and moved him.
Hassett noticed that many of the artists themselves practice Falun Gong. The program book states that Shen Yun’s artists believe in cultivating the spirit, in order to create art that can truly move their audiences.
Hassett said they absolutely succeeded.