BRISBANE, Australia—Shen Yun Performing Arts opened in Brisbane to a packed house at the Lyric Theatre, on Feb. 26. In the audience was John Neville, a travel consultant. He thought Shen Yun “was really brilliant.”
He loved every aspect of the performance. “I just loved the colour, the energy, the singing, and the instruments.”
New York-based Shen Yun brings 5000 years of Chinese culture to life on stage through the universal language of music and dance. “Its stunning beauty and tremendous energy leave audiences uplifted and inspired,” the website states.
Mr. Neville felt the energy from the dancers, “I think they generate a great energy, peace, vitality, enthusiasm and a spiritual self. It’s incredible! The music, the energy, it’s incredible, plus it was very gentle and on the other hand also at times it was very gentle.”
Shen Yun also includes singing and instrumental solo performances. Mr. Neville particularly loved the erhu solo by Linda Wang saying it was a highlight.
The two stringed erhu has a history of over 4000 years and the ability to convey a wide range of emotions.
“The erhu is incredibly expressive, capable of imitating sounds from chirping birds to neighing horses. An alto instrument with … a quality eminently suitable for conveying the grand pageant of China’s history and the emotions of its people,” the website states.
“The erhu, gorgeous!” he said. “It was sublime. It’s like you’re into another space ... you could listen to that all night. It’s very gentle, it cuts into your soul.”
He found it difficult to describe the emotions he felt and he thought the whole audience was entranced. He believed everyone would feel something on a deep level while listening to the erhu.
Shen Yun has an orchestra consisting of traditional Chinese instruments and Western strings, percussion, woodwinds, and brass.
“The ability to seamlessly blend these two systems to create one fresh, harmonious sound is what makes the Shen Yun Performing Arts Orchestra unique,” according to the website.
“A Western orchestra plays the foundation, while traditional Chinese instruments lead the melodies. The sound produced is uniquely pleasing to the ear.”
In ancient China music is often considered medicine healing the soul. Mr. Neville agreed with this idea and said he owns a baby grand piano and played the piano when he was younger. His mother played the violin, so he feels he has an affinity to music. He felt the music of Shen Yun could certainly heal the soul.
“I think it’s one of the greatest healing powers,” he said.
“The energy of the people, the dynamics, the acrobatics and their sort of, there’s also a calmness to it, an incredible calmness to them.”
He said he was leaving Shen Yun with a good feeling, “realising anything’s possible. If you don’t have hope for the future you might as well forget it, you have to believe in hope.”
He added, “you leave and you think, life is just wonderful.”
Reporting by NTD Television and Leigh Smith
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit Shen Yun Performing Arts.
Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time. We have proudly covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
