TOURS, France—The combination of three values—wisdom, beauty, and strength—prompted a veterinary biologist to revisit the Shen Yun Performing Arts show, this time with his family.
He found it “just as beautiful” this year. “That’s why I came back,” explains the veterinary biologist.
“This time, I came to introduce my family to the show,” he explains. “I wanted them to see it at least once.”
He experienced a feeling of contemplation during the performance.
“I would sum it up with the word contemplation, as when you stand in front of a painting, a beautiful work of art, a beautiful sculpture.”
Mr. Monier was moved by the messages of kindness that emanate from the various scenes.
“These values can only bring peace of mind. You feel a little cut off from the turmoil of the world,” notes Cyril Monier.
“The messages are very powerful and, I think, important in today’s society, where some values are somewhat in decline,” he adds.
The benevolence that emanates from the show is rooted in ancient Chinese traditions, where art was closely linked to the sacred, virtue, and the search for harmony between humans and heaven.
“The show demonstrates that age-old traditions are important and must be preserved,” acknowledges Mr. Monier.
“We can all play a role as guardians of traditions by passing them on and sharing them with others, so that the chain is never broken,” he hopes.
Among the audience for the same sold-out performance were Claude Lanoë, a retired bank manager, and Emmanuelle Matagne, formerly a parliamentary attaché for the Senate.
“I was already very impressed by the fact that these singers are actually the same as ours,” explains Mrs. Matagne. “They have the same voice, the same tone of voice, the same power. It’s unimaginable. You can’t imagine that kind of power.”
Both were particularly moved by the message of faith that carried them through the entire performance.
Shen Yun’s art aims to uplift the spirit and bring joy, not only through technique and visual beauty, but through an inner, spiritual dimension, reflecting a belief in the power of art to inspire and transform.
It was this spiritual dimension, even more than the beauty of the scenes, that touched Mrs. Matagne the most. “We who go to Mass every Sunday find the same message. That’s what’s so wonderful.”
“It’s truly magnificent,” adds Mr. Lanoë. “Ultimately, tonight, we can say that it’s a human celebration in the same way.”
“That’s what we try to apply every day,” says Mrs. Matagne. “Repeat to yourself that a message is good, as in the Christian religion, but you have to apply it. ... In reality, it’s the application of these traditions, this religious history, in everyday life, in modern life. It’s magnificent.”
“We still touched the beauty of the divine, and that’s something,” concludes Emmanuelle Matagne.
