MELBOURNE—Melbourne is one of more than 90 cities around the world to be hosting Shen Yun Performing Arts, including Paris, New York, London, Vienna, Tokyo, Florence, Taipei, Stockholm and Montreal. The New York-based company appeals to a great cross section of people from different cultures, backgrounds and ages.
Romanian-born writer, producer and director, Anamaria Beligan, currently lives in Melbourne and attended the second performance of Shen Yun at The Regent Theatre.
Ms. Beligan’s third novel, Windermere: Love at Second Sight, was launched at the Melbourne Writer’s Festival in 2010 and she is co-proprietor of The Athanor, an independent film/video and multimedia production company.
The talented writer and director commented on the overall impression she had gained from Shen Yun, saying: “This show completed, in a way that is quite different, my knowledge about the spirituality and richness of a timeless China, the China that has existed in the past and that will always be there after all the dirt and smoke of its political storms clears.”
Ms. Beligan said she had been a refugee from communist Romania and so had not been attracted to seeing Chinese cultural shows from mainland China. Shen Yun, had however, been something totally different.
“I come from a communist country so there is a certain innate bias against the Chinese official culture ... I’ve been reticent in the past to attend Chinese official shows.
“This is probably the first show that I’ve seen which brings forth Chinese culture that I’ve not been familiar with. I’ve never travelled to China for the same reasons. So my knowledge of non-communist China is indirect.”
Ms. Beligan said she enjoyed the way Shen Yun revealed “scenes of everyday life in the middle of nature” and was particularly impressed with the dance Little Mischievous Monks, which depicts young Buddhist monks engaging in a little of their own training while the abbot is away.
“To me the little boys in the monastery dancing was fabulous,“ she said. ”So for me this show was a real joy because of its exuberance, because of its colour and energy and vibrations.
“Also, it reveals a timeless China,” she added. “The China that has always been there for 5,000 years, a China that is extremely spiritual but also magical.”
Like many audience members around the world who comment on the feeling of joy and hope that they get from watching Shen Yun, Ms. Beligan said: “ I liked it because the show is ... happy and vibrant and joyful. It has very sad and tragic moments but it also has moments of comedy.”
Shen Yun “was really a joy,” she continued. “I’m glad that our city is hosting such a wonderful event. I know it’s not the first and I hope that there will be many coming.”
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. The Shen Yun International Company will perform in Melbourne at the Regent Theatre until Sunday, March 6. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
Romanian-born writer, producer and director, Anamaria Beligan, currently lives in Melbourne and attended the second performance of Shen Yun at The Regent Theatre.
Ms. Beligan’s third novel, Windermere: Love at Second Sight, was launched at the Melbourne Writer’s Festival in 2010 and she is co-proprietor of The Athanor, an independent film/video and multimedia production company.
The talented writer and director commented on the overall impression she had gained from Shen Yun, saying: “This show completed, in a way that is quite different, my knowledge about the spirituality and richness of a timeless China, the China that has existed in the past and that will always be there after all the dirt and smoke of its political storms clears.”
Ms. Beligan said she had been a refugee from communist Romania and so had not been attracted to seeing Chinese cultural shows from mainland China. Shen Yun, had however, been something totally different.
“I come from a communist country so there is a certain innate bias against the Chinese official culture ... I’ve been reticent in the past to attend Chinese official shows.
“This is probably the first show that I’ve seen which brings forth Chinese culture that I’ve not been familiar with. I’ve never travelled to China for the same reasons. So my knowledge of non-communist China is indirect.”
Ms. Beligan said she enjoyed the way Shen Yun revealed “scenes of everyday life in the middle of nature” and was particularly impressed with the dance Little Mischievous Monks, which depicts young Buddhist monks engaging in a little of their own training while the abbot is away.
“To me the little boys in the monastery dancing was fabulous,“ she said. ”So for me this show was a real joy because of its exuberance, because of its colour and energy and vibrations.
“Also, it reveals a timeless China,” she added. “The China that has always been there for 5,000 years, a China that is extremely spiritual but also magical.”
Like many audience members around the world who comment on the feeling of joy and hope that they get from watching Shen Yun, Ms. Beligan said: “ I liked it because the show is ... happy and vibrant and joyful. It has very sad and tragic moments but it also has moments of comedy.”
Shen Yun “was really a joy,” she continued. “I’m glad that our city is hosting such a wonderful event. I know it’s not the first and I hope that there will be many coming.”
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. The Shen Yun International Company will perform in Melbourne at the Regent Theatre until Sunday, March 6. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
