GOLD COAST, Australia—Singer-turned-investigator Ali McDonald was very happy to reconnect with her artistic roots with Shen Yun Performing Arts at the HOTA Home of the Arts on the Gold Coast on Feb. 25.
“It was fabulous, it was absolutely wonderful,” she exclaimed. “I love the dancing, the costumes, the musicians, and the background where they were jumping in and out, [and] the interesting use of the smoke machine. It was great. Everything about it was wonderful.”
Based in New York, Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company. It’s on a mission to remind the world of “China before communism,” and revive China’s 5,000 years of divinely-inspired culture—much of which was lost following the violent communist takeover in 1949.
The 2-hour production features a series of short pieces that transports its audience through various dynasties and across the vast regions of China. Using classical Chinese, folk, and ethnic dances, as well as solo musical performances, Shen Yun tells tales from ancient times to the modern day.
Ms. McDonald especially enjoyed the story-based dance depicting the Monkey King, a beloved character from the classic Chinese novel “Journey of the West,” as well as the classical Chinese dance “Water Sleeves.”
According to the company’s website, the dancers’ long sleeves were a feature of ancient Chinese feminine attire, symbolizing humility and grace. Light and airy, they billow and flow on stage, evoking the gentle movement of water.
As a singer, Ms. McDonald was delighted to see Shen Yun’s performance included a soprano soloist.
“The opera singer was wonderful, I really enjoyed her,” she said. “I was reading the lyrics behind [her on the screen], they’re all beautiful. I love the meaning and the spiritual meaning of the show as well.”
For her, the song’s message was about never forgetting one’s origin.
“We come to learn and we often forget our purpose—we forget and we get sidetracked,” she said. “It’s often about finding our way back.”
“I think [the artists] conveyed a lot about the history—of how there has been a lot of violence and a lot of injustice, and a lot of beauty and a lot of ways that the culture is connected to a higher purpose, and how those in power have tried to separate that so people cannot find their higher purpose. They’re kept enslaved. [Shen Yun] is about people finding their way out of the enslavement, and back to the beautiful culture.”
In addition to reviving traditional values, Shen Yun seeks to raise awareness of ongoing human rights abuses in China. As a result, the company is currently banned from performing there by the ruling communist regime.
Summing up the experience, Ms. McDonald reiterated that the performance was “breathtaking” and “beautiful.” She encourages everyone to attend Shen Yun.
“I would say it’s a must-see,” she said. “It’s lifechanging, it’s beautiful, and they’ll remember it for all their life.”
