MELBOURNE, Australia—On March 7, company manager Judi-Anne Ibrahim and her daughter, Taylah, a learning support officer, attended Shen Yun Performing Arts’ second show at the Plenary Theatre. The matinee was just as beautiful and inspiring as the pair had hoped it would be.
“Very impressive,” Ms. Ibrahim said. “The colors and the talent of the actual dancers and having the orchestra live—I’ve never seen that before.”
“I loved it. The stories that [were told] I think they were quite touching—understanding ancient China, but also some of the [issues] that are still going on in China today—it was really good to see the contrast. It was something that was quite moving.”
Taylah agreed. “The performance was really good,” she said. “I really enjoyed it. Nice and bright colors, and it was a good storyline as well.”
China is one of the world’s oldest civilizations. Its 5,000 years of history are filled with legends and rich traditions. Yet, within just a few decades following the rise of the Chinese Communist Party, this magnificent culture was destroyed.
As atheism spread, belief in the divine was suppressed, and the moral values passed down through Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism were pushed aside. Today, New York–based Shen Yun seeks to revive this lost heritage and bring back the beauty of China before communism through classical Chinese dance and music.
Reflecting on the artists’ commitment to speaking out for people of faith persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party today, Ms. Ibrahim said it was “quite brave.”
“We, as all individuals, have our own beliefs and have our own individuality, and it should be something we should be able to celebrate and share with others. It’s quite restricting if you can’t. ... You can’t necessarily be your true self.”
Ms. Ibrahim was happy to see that the English translation of the lyrics was projected on the screen during the singers’ solos. Sang in the traditional bel canto style, the original compositions explore the importance of restoring traditional moral values and belief in the divine.
“What I really loved about the singing was having the words come up on the screen, to be able to understand what was being said and shared,” she expressed.
“It was quite an eye-opener in regards to the essence and the stories that we were following, [especially the] spiritual aspect—that there is a higher being and consequences to some decisions you might be making.”
“At the end, the takeaway was really around kindness, gratitude. It was really lovely.”
Moreover, Ms. Ibrahim appreciated the dancers’ grace and marveled at their incredible talent and strength.
“I really loved the dance that was shown—how exquisite the girls were when they were performing, and the boys. Very graceful, extremely graceful,” she praised.
“They perform on flat feet. We’ve done dance and we always have to be very elevated. [They’re] very graceful on flat feet and their spins and turns is unbelievable.”
Shen Yun artists are masters of classical Chinese dance, an ancient and highly expressive art form dating back thousands of years. Unlike the modern, military-influenced styles often seen in China today, Shen Yun preserves and performs this tradition in its most authentic form, as it was originally passed down through generations.
Summing up the matinee, Ms. Ibrahim would like to tell all of Shen Yun’s artists: “Well done.”
“Absolutely exquisite. Flawless,” she said. “I can imagine they make a lot of sacrifices to be able to perform. Traveling the world is beautiful, but you do miss out on a lot, too, by doing that. The sacrifices they make to their body as well, putting themselves through dance, but it was absolutely beautiful.”
