AMNEVILLE, France—Danielle Georges came to see Shen Yun Performing Arts on Dec. 18 with her husband to celebrate his birthday.
She said Shen Yun was “perfectly lovely,” adding, “it was a gift from my husband—although it’s actually his birthday.”
Ms. Georges, who is a chief accountant, said: “I absolutely loved the choreography and the overall performance. They were all extremely well coordinated, and it’s true that it was majestic.”
Shen Yun is based in New York, and its artists are trained in classical Chinese dance, one of the most comprehensive dance systems in the world.
“What impressed me the most was really the uniformity of their movements with one another. Sometimes we had three people in front of us, and it looked like there was only one. So it was really very beautiful,” Ms. Georges said.
One of the many things that sets classical Chinese dance apart from ballet is the footwork. While ballerinas dance en pointe, female dancers of classical Chinese dance use small, quick steps called “yuan chang,” which gives the illusion of the dancer floating across the stage.
“It’s very different from our [dance]. It’s much more acrobatic. And it’s very impressive. Honestly, it was a very beautiful performance. Very colorful. And it makes you want to come back again,” Ms. Georges said.
Classical Chinese dance requires its artists to master bearing, form, technique, and tumbling before becoming truly adept.
“It’s very acrobatic. It must be daily work. And I can only congratulate them and encourage them to keep on captivating us and showing us everything they know how to do,” Ms. Georges said.
Shen Yun’s live orchestra is a unique combination of traditional Chinese instruments and a classic Western ensemble.
“I imagine it’s traditional Chinese music, with some quite surprising instruments. Surprising for us, since they’re sounds we’re not familiar with. And it carried us a little bit to China. Just for a short time, it made us travel a little,” Ms. Georges said.
Shen Yun’s mission is to revive 5,000 years of Chinese civilization and culture, allowing audiences around the world to experience China before communism.
Ms. Georges shared that she saw “kindness, generosity, of course. There were a few scenes that focused more on that. And there was one in particular that I really liked: the poor person who is helped by a couple.”
Reporting by Jeanne Williams and Maria Han.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
