“I don’t have any words … I think it’s incredible—the colours, the movement—just the culture is beautiful. I love the live music as well, I think it gives it this authentic touch, so I think it’s absolutely stunning. I’m actually quite taken back for words to be honest,” Ms. Gabriel said.
“I love how we have an introduction to the story just before, so we can understand what’s happening,” Ms. Gabriel said of Shen Yun’s emcees who introduce the meaning and story behind each piece before it’s performed on stage.
Aussies Recognise the Monkey King
Also in attendance was environmental scientist Mark Rivers, who said he thoroughly enjoyed the themes and storylines presented by Shen Yun.
According to legend, the Monkey King, or Sun Wukong, was born from a magical rock that had collected the essence of heaven and earth since the beginning of time.
Monkey King’s ability to master supernormal feats of magic, see through delusion, and conquer demons makes him a powerful character; yet his mischievous nature often lands him in trouble, particularly with a monk who is also accompanied by Pigsy and Sandy to travel to the Western paradise to collect scriptures from the Buddha.
In order to better manage Monkey King, the Bodhisattva gives the monk a magical golden headband to place around Monkey’s head to call on when he needs to control his disciple. This scene is played out in Shen Yun as the monk calls on the headband to give Monkey a splitting headache.
Cindy Tonkin, director of Carton & Co., also enjoyed the Monkey King vignette.
“I really enjoyed all of them. I obviously liked the one with Tripitaka [an ancient collection of Buddhist sacred scriptures] because we’ve seen that childhood cartoon in Australia for so long when I was a child,” Ms. Tonkin said on March 23.
“It’s the performers getting into character so much and really enjoying themselves on stage ... enjoyment in the performance when they’re doing these pieces, it’s lovely.”
Shen Yun Brings Unity
Meanwhile, a professional musician from Russia, Yaroslav Sachkov, said the authentic culture presented by Shen Yun has relevance to the modern world.
“Because we are now in a very turbulent time, culturally, financially, politically, and we need such uplifting, refreshing, harmonising experiences as we just witnessed today,” Mr. Sachkov said on March 23.
“The culture in our world, it’s a powerful factor which can unify us, despite our religious, political, and other differences. So this beauty, this perfection, this strive to uplift; it’s so strong, it’s so appealing.”
According to Shen Yun’s website, ancient people who took up various professions, especially in the arts, looked to the divine for inspiration. It was believed that art was meant to uplift, which would, in turn, bring joy to both the artist and those who experienced it.
“So the potential here is enormous, but humans tend to forget, get caught up in the noise of modern life, and we tend to forget about this. And that’s such a good reminder we had today.”
“What first comes to mind is the beauty of how a grand piano is being used to extract the beauty of Chinese classical music,” he said.
“So this blend, this fusion, is so beautiful. It’s so designing, and as a musician, I can appreciate it very, very much.
“It’s done very tastefully, it’s very appropriate, it’s another whole world. So it’s definitely beauty within, and the sky’s the limit.
