Film Production Company Owner Says Shen Yun Is A Must-see
May 15, 2022
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Paul Curran attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Adelaide Festival Centre in Adelaide, Australia, on May 15, 2022. (Rachel Qu/The Epoch Times)
ADELAIDE, Australia—Not knowing much about Shen Yun Performing Arts, Paul Curran, who owns a film production company, came to the Adelaide Festival Centre on May 15 to see the performance without any expectations and was completely stunned and in awe by the time he left the theatre.
Mr. Curran, the owner of Logic Films—a company specialising in creating video content for film, TV and online distribution—said he was excited when seeing the techniques performed by Shen Yun dancers.
“Visually, it’s absolutely dynamic. The athleticism is incredible,” he said. “It’s definitely a must-see.”
Mr. Curran also noted that Shen Yun performers have distinct styles and flavours as he saw the strength in male dancers and the swiftness and softness in female dancers.
“I can definitely feel the difference between the two different genders,” he said.
During the two-hour journey, Mr. Curran tried to take in all the visuals and figure out the storyline. He said it was an incredible experience to stay in his seat and enjoy the colours and the vibrant scenery that Shen Yun illustrated.
The film company owner was also deeply impressed with the “Water Sleeves“ performance in which female performers danced with long sleeves.
The Chinese long-sleeve dance has thousands of years of history and is very demanding in terms of technique, which requires years of meticulous training.
In addition, Mr. Curran was also fascinated with the Yi ethnic dance presented in this year’s Shen Yun program, saying he felt that it had a meaning.
“I’m not sure what that meaning is, but I felt it had quite a lot of meaning which I would like to learn more about,” he said, adding that the dance piece also stood out visually with the colours.
China is a vast country that embraces over 50 ethnic groups, each with a distinct culture and characteristics. Apart from various types of classical Chinese dances passed down throughout the five thousand years of China’s history, ethnic dance styles are an indispensable part of Shen Yun Performing Arts.
Mr. Curran was deeply enthralled by the Shen Yun Orchestra, which he was able to witness while the dancers were performing on the stage.
“I loved the orchestra. It’s actually fascinating to be able to watch the music performed live,” he said.
Additionally, Mr. Curran felt that it was quite helpful the way the Shen Yun MCs provided narration between the performances as it was easier for the audience to understand.
“It certainly helps to take you through the journey of the story,” he said.
Mr. Curran also praised Shen Yun Performing Arts for its digital backdrops, which integrated seamlessly with the dancers’ movements in many stories.
“I was just saying to my friends and family that it’s really clever, and it really transcends you to a place far away which I don’t think you can normally do with normal backdrops,” he said.
“It’s very interesting. It’s different, but I like it.”
People Will Prevail Over Communism
Trevor Wirkus and his wife Jill Wirkus attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Adelaide Festival Centre in Adelaide, Australia, on May 15, 2022. (Steve Xu/The Epoch Times)
Also attending Shen Yun Performing Arts on May 15 were Trevor Wirkus, a franchise owner of Poolwerx—a swimming pool service business, and his wife Jill Wirkus, who is the director of the franchise.
Trevor Wirkus said he really enjoyed Shen Yun, saying it helped him understand the Chinese culture better.
“We know that Chinese cultures and ancient culture, and obviously, many wonderful things have come from China in the past. We’ve got a lot to learn from China,” he said.
The couple then praised the beauty of the performance, adding that it was uplifting spiritually and culturally.
Mr. Wirkus said he had read many spiritual materials, and therefore he had a deep understanding of the spiritual messages conveyed by Shen Yun.
“I love it. And I just really hope that everybody else receives it in the same way because it is a beautiful thing,” he said.
“I think if we all embraced spirituality again, the world would be a much better place.”
Mr. Wirkus also commented on the persecution of the spiritual meditation practice Falun Dafa in China, which was outlined in some of the performance, saying it was sad to see the persecution happening under the rule of the Chinese Communist regime.
“They’re such nice people,” Jill Wirkus said of Falun Dafa practitioners.
Mr. Wirkus said that no Communist regime could ultimately suppress people forever, and people would prevail in the end.
“We know, in the end, people will prevail over communism. Communism will not prevail.” Trevor Wirkus said.
“I also have great hope for where it will be in the future.”
