LAUSANNE, Switzerland—During its world tour, Shen Yun Performing Arts made a final stop in Switzerland, in Lausanne, after visiting Geneva at the end of January. The enchanting performance on the afternoon of Feb. 21 at the Théâtre de Beaulieu touched a passionate advocate of culture.
“I think what struck me most was really the whole magical atmosphere,” Frédéric Saenger said. Among the many challenges he has taken on during his career, he has been a concert organizer, president of a music festival, and bookseller. He is currently a deputy member of the Grand Council, a position he ran for in order to defend culture.
“I have organized concerts myself, so I am very sensitive to everything musical, everything artistic. ... And this magical dance and music really moved me, impressed me,” shared this cultural figure.
He noted that the show features “excellent dancers and very, very good musicians. There is an orchestra, and the music really moved us.”
“I liked the demonstration at one point, when all the instruments started playing in succession to show precisely this interweaving of cultures, and I found it particularly successful,” he said, referring to the presentation of the different instruments by the two presenters between two scenes.
In the Shen Yun orchestra, Chinese and Western music come together harmoniously to create a unique dialogue between the delicacy of traditional Asian instruments and the symphonic richness of the West.
Mr. Saenger found this Western influence mixed with the “very traditional Chinese” aspect “truly wonderful.”
“I got carried away by the music quite often,” he said. “I traveled a lot with the music, throughout those two hours, two and a half hours. It was magnificent.”
“I learned a lot, too. I don’t know much about the cultural background of the show, but that’s something I'll discover later, and I’m quite happy about that,” Mr. Saenger shared.
“These 5,000 years of culture and tradition really touch me because I am someone who lives in the modern world but is also attached to certain traditions in the West. And I completely understand that in any country, people are attached to their traditions and culture.”
Driven by a universal spirituality that transcends cultures and eras, Shen Yun invites every audience member to reconnect with the profound values shared by all of humanity.
This universal aspect, as well as “the peace and harmony that is desired throughout the world,” greatly appealed to Mr. Saenger.
“We live in a rather chaotic world, and if we could bring a little more harmony, peace, and understanding to one another, we would have a lot to gain,” he remarks.
Other audience members at this sold-out performance were moved by everything that was happening on stage.
Stéphane Berthouzoz, a former engineer, found the show magnificent and captivating.
“You can sense that people want to express their emotions. They want to tell their story, they want to say something, and that moves us,” he said. “I found that there were a lot of feelings involved, and I was really taken, moved by what was happening on stage.”
The name Shen Yun means “the beauty of divine beings dancing,” evoking the heavenly elegance and spiritual depth of traditional Chinese culture.
“In fact, it’s a bit mystical too. It means that they show a little bit more than just themselves; it’s not just material like that. And that’s precisely what’s connected with the spirit, with the deities, and so on,” Mr. Berthouzoz shared.
“I think they do it very well and it touches the viewer,” he said.
“Honestly, the current situation in China doesn’t particularly make me want to travel there,” Mr. Berthouzoz said.
“It’s a shame that this is how things are, because it’s always a question of power. People who want power persecute those who have different ideas, who see things differently. Whether in China or elsewhere,” he explains.
Mrs. Berthouzoz shares this opinion: “I hate all violence because I am Ukrainian... and we have experienced the same thing, a lot of unnecessary violence. ... It’s really sad.”
“When you see what happened before, I imagine that’s a bit of their story... It might be interesting to dig a little deeper and see what happened before,” Mr. Berthouzoz said.
