LIMOGES, France—The French capital of porcelain has recently been hosting the best of Chinese classical dance and music.
Jean-Claude Sozzi was an elite athlete who played ice hockey in the 1960s and 1970s. As a goaltender, he was crowned French champion twice, in 1972 and 1981. He also competed in the 1968 Winter Olympics and in several world championships between 1962 and 1976. His wife, Françoise Sozzi, is a former ballet dancer.
“We loved everything: the technique, the stage, the technology! It’s pretty amazing, pretty extraordinary!” Mr. Sozzi said.
the former physical education teacher.
“It’s very professional; the whole thing is beautiful, they all move together,” Mrs. Sozzi added. “The choreography is beautiful—I really enjoyed it!”
‘Technically and Visually, It’s Fabulous!’
“They’re playing at a high level,” Mr. Sozzi said, “And they’re technically very strong. You can really sense their professionalism at every level!”“They are all excellent dancers, I particularly enjoyed the dancers,” added the former ballet dancer, delighted that a performance of such high caliber was being presented in Limoges. “It’s a pleasure to see companies of such professionalism.”
Speaking from his travels in Asia, Mr. Sozzi said, “I’m not surprised by what I’ve seen, but technically and visually, it’s fabulous! It’s very, very good!”
Shen Yun means “the beauty of divine beings dancing,” as the company has made it its mission to revive traditional Chinese culture, which is deeply imbued with spirituality. Indeed, the ancient Chinese believed that their culture was inherited from the divine.
“It was said then that music, medicine, calligraphy, fashion, language, and many other aspects constituted a heritage transmitted by the heavens,” reads the Shen Yun website. “Buddhism, Taoism, and other disciplines were at the heart of society. Emperors sought the Way of Heaven, and daily life was punctuated by rituals connecting human beings to the divine.”
In China, this tradition has almost been lost. As soon as it came to power in 1949, the Chinese Communist regime sought to eradicate these millennia-old traditional beliefs and destroy the treasures of the Middle Kingdom’s tangible and intangible heritage. But Shen Yun is touring to remind the world of “China before communism.”
“There’s a certain warmth, a sense of calm,” Mr. Sozzi said of New York-based Shen Yun. “I felt calm and at ease. I really enjoyed it!” Mrs Sozzi added.
For the former athlete, Shen Yun conveys “a message of kindness and tolerance toward the dance’s country of origin.”
