SYDNEY, Australia—On March 21, company director Harvi Malhi and his family enjoyed Shen Yun Performing Arts’ matinee at the Sydney Lyric Theatre. Before moving to Australia, Mr. Malhi owned a North Indian dance company that performed during the 2012 London Olympics in the U.K.
He was very excited to see Shen Yun’s presentation of not only classical Chinese dance, but also the diverse ethnic and folk styles from across China.
“We believe that music and dance can unite people from all over the world, regardless of your class, your color, your creed. Today was a great example of that. It really was,” he said happily.
“To be able to share 5,000 years of Chinese heritage, and history, and culture was phenomenal to see. It was such a beautiful thing for my daughter as well, who’s only six years old, to experience in a way that she can understand.”
According to the company’s website, the name ‘Shen Yun” translates directly into “the beauty of divine beings dancing.” Mr. Malhi felt this was perfectly reflected in the performance. He especially appreciated its spiritual dimension.
“When they were talking about music, not only encourages the body to dance but also the soul … all my daughter wanted to do was get up and dance, because that’s what it does to you. That’s the impact music, dance, and culture can have on a pure and innocent soul,” he added.
“For her, it was just unadulterated, pure emotion in music. It was beautiful, the most beautiful experience we’ve had as a family together. So, we’re really grateful to the [Shen Yun] production, to the team, all of the guys in the background.”
“I know what it takes to put something like this on. I’ve got to say from a technical perspective, every dancer was flawless. Every move was in complete synchronization to each other, and what a beautiful way to tell stories, through music and dance.”
As one of the world’s oldest civilizations, China’s 5,000 years of history is rich with breathtaking legends and time-honored traditions. Yet within just a few decades of the Chinese communists’ rise to power, much of this magnificent culture was destroyed.
The spread of atheism rapidly undermined belief in the divine, and the cherished virtues drawn from Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism were swept away.
Today, New York–based Shen Yun is working to revivethis lost civilization and to bring back, through dance and music, the beauty of China before communism.
Mr. Malhi was particularly moved by the story-based dances, which brought ancient legends to life while conveying traditional moral values and wisdom. What touched him most was the universal message that, regardless of background, people everywhere are striving to be good.
Though Shen Yun has received worldwide acclaim since its founding in 2006, due to the artists’ commitment to reviving traditional culture and raising awareness about communist party’s ongoing persecution of faith, the artists are banned from performing in China.
Mr. Malhi deeply lamented this loss.
“Some of the stories [were about] where we are as a culture and a people today, compared to where we’ve been,” he said. “If we get back to our core beliefs as human beings, it’s about being good people and helping each other out, and all of that comes from whatever faith you believe in; they all teach you the same thing—just be a good human being.”
“It’s really sad when I think about how that has been changed and impacted over the years, especially in countries like China with communism and everything else that’s happening all over the world. In the name of progress, we’re losing what we really are as human beings. It really was very emotional for me to watch all of that.”
He believes the artists’ efforts to share traditional values can have a meaningful impact on society. The message he is taking home is that, “we have all of this noise around us, all this tech, all these screens, everything that’s going on, but really we’re losing touch with who we are as people.”
Shen Yun, he said, “can give a great deal of inspiration. … We are made by the divine creator to elevate from this human form into something else, to go back to where we were. The soul is the only thing that transcends this life. Our body will come, our body will go, but the soul continues on its journey.”
“It has been such a profound experience for me and my family, and we would recommend it to anybody. We need to get back to that, we need to get back to the roots of our culture and who we are as human beings.”
