SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun ‘Brings a Lot of Hope in a World Where We Live in War,’ Says Company Director

Feb 11, 2023

LYON, France—On Wednesday, February 8, Lyon was resonating with the sounds of ancestral China as the Amphitheatre 3000 welcomed the sold-out Shen Yun Performing Arts, which was performing from Saturday, Feb. 4 to Thursday, Feb. 9.

Magali Esposito is a company executive in real estate strategy, and among the theatergoers.

“I find the show absolutely fantastic! We are not used to seeing this type of show in Lyon, which perfectly combines dance, acrobatic [techniques], singing, and music,” she said,

New York-based Shen Yun is the world’s top classical Chinese dance company. In the performance’s presentation booklet, we learn that “classical Chinese dance was once passed down among the people, in imperial courts, and through ancient plays. Over thousands of years, it was constantly refined, eventually developing into the vast and distinctly Chinese dance form we know today.”

In addition, classical Chinese dance has its own training in basic skills, physical expression and postures, leaps, flips, spins, and other difficult tumbling techniques, combined with the exceptional ability of the dancer to express his or her deepest emotions.

“I am impressed by the technical talent of the dancers but also by the story they tell,” Ms. Esposito said. “I find it very courageous to oppose the current [Chinese communist] regime and [Shen Yun] standing up for their values and their way of seeing society and the future of society.”

Some of Shen Yun’s dance narratives address the reality of contemporary China, describing the Chinese regime’s ongoing persecution of Falun Gong practitioners which started in 1999. Falun Gong, or Falun Dafa, is a Buddhist method of meditation based on the principles of truth, compassion, and tolerance.

Being a Catholic, Ms. Esposito practices meditation and said she felt during the performance “that certain parts were very meditative and inspiring to actually connect with the Creator.”

She also felt joy. A deep joy which she explained as follows: “In fact, the joy, I feel it in the dancers’ leaps ... I feel it in the smile ... in their permanent smile. I feel it in the sounds of that two-stringed instrument (erhu) and in the voices of the singer ... and in that perfect choreography which is really set up to the millimeter.”

This businesswoman believes that Shen Yun brings hope.

“This show brings a lot of hope in a world where we live in war ... where war is everywhere and we are threatened by a Third World War ... To see people fighting in this way for peace—for peace and for harmony in the world is really very inspiring!”

Reporting by NTD and Sarita Modmesaïb.

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