SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun ‘Enlightening and Eye-Opening’ View of China

Mar 24, 2024

VANCOUVER—Dave Gale said Shen Yun Performing Arts was “perfection” in its elegance and artistry, even touching on tough subjects with grace.

“It was enlightening and eye-opening,” said Mr. Gale, who works in sales, at Queen Elizabeth Theatre on the afternoon of March 23. “Everybody was perfection.”

New York-based Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance company, with a mission to revive 5,000 years of Chinese civilization through music and dance.

That depth of history and tradition was evident in vignettes like the water sleeves dance that Mr. Gale noted, a dance believed to have originated in imperial courts thousands of years ago. But Shen Yun’s vignettes span millennia, and there were also stories set in the modern day, which was an unexpected highlight for Mr. Gale.

“It’s nice to talk about some of the issues that are affecting China ... I love the use of art to talk about these issues because it’s not just pointing a finger,” Mr. Gale said.

Shen Yun’s tagline is “China before communism” because the modern China that most people are familiar with is far from the traditional, divinely inspired culture that had existed for thousands of years before communist rule. The communist regime only took power in 1949, less than a century ago, and has, in that time, sought to root out traditional history through violent campaigns.

Mr. Gale saw in the performance a story-based dance set in modern-day China, where people of faith faced persecution under the regime, but the story showed the reality of communism while ultimately conveying hope.

“It’s eye-opening, so it’s not just ridiculing somebody,” Mr. Gale explained. “It’s bringing light to it.”

Shen Yun Performing Arts Touring Company's curtain call at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on the afternoon of March 23, 2024. (NTD) — Shen Yun Performing Arts Touring Company's curtain call at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on the afternoon of March 23, 2024. NTD

Also inspired by the performance was Alexandra Black, a retired banking executive, who said the “concept of freedom” Shen Yun expressed spoke to her heart and soul.

“The beauty, the music, the international kindness—I mean, it’s the desires of everyone’s soul,” she said.

Ms. Black said the “beauty and expression of the soul” of the artists was “very inspirational ... amazing.”

“I think many moments were very special,” she said. Ms. Black felt Shen Yun had a message, and it was a universal one that the very diverse audience members in the theater could understand.

“The message is an energetic message of beauty and divine and caring, sharing in one humanity. We all have the same spirit, and we all have the same soul,” she said. “I think it’s in the music, it’s in the kindness, it’s in the facial expression of all the people. It’s undeniable. The energy comes across.”

With reporting by Yeawen Hung and Sherry Dong

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.