PARIS—Jean Girard received “a magnificent gift” from his children: on Sunday, May 4 at the Palais des Congrès, he attended the show he'd been wanting to see for a long time.
Shen Yun “has deepened my knowledge of Chinese culture, which has interested me for a long time, since I practice taichi and qiqong, among other things, and I take courses every year with Shaolin monks”, said Mr. Girard, an obstetrician-gynecologist practicing in Seine-Saint-Denis.
“This show has taught me a lot, because it also reflects the mix of Chinese culture with the West,” he added.
Mr. Girard was also impressed by Shen Yun’s many traditional Chinese costumes, all handcrafted with the utmost respect for ethnic and dynastic traditions. “It’s magnificent! The colors are beautiful! I think the dancers are very, very well dressed. I think the costumes are very, very beautiful. At the same time, it’s very modest,” he said.
The ancient Chinese believed that their culture was an inheritance from the heavens, and their traditional dress was likewise inspired by the heavens.
“I think that in terms of the relationship with the body, there’s no exposure of nudity, there’s no contact like we see in the West, where I think it’s a little deviant or a little too much, which I like less. So I like this aspect, this reserve,” Mr. Girard added.
The doctor confides that he felt “a lot of energy, a lot of serenity, magnificent jumps, acrobatics! Indeed, like sports, acrobatics, which comes from Chinese dance, I think it’s true, it’s a magnificent aspect of Chinese dance and culture!”
For Mr. Girard, this “connection with spirituality” is all the stronger “with the final scene, which is magnificent, effectively exposing the future of the world, which at the moment is not very good, and a hope that perhaps it can be put right.”
He identified in the performance values such as “compassion, benevolence, kindness. These are universal values. I think that, whatever our origin, our culture, our religion, or our path, they’re bound to resonate with everyone.”
“As a doctor, I was touched by the idea that music is something that speaks to the soul,” he concluded.
