SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun ‘Draws Us Into a Divine World, Shows What Life Can Be,’ Says Musician

Apr 25, 2023

AUCKLAND, New Zealand—Musician Sunny Ray and her mother Jamala Smyth, a therapist, were inspired by the Shen Yun Performing Arts concert at the Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre on April 21.

“So very inspiring, the dancing itself, but it’s the message that comes through from behind,” said Ms. Ray.

“Behind it is this passion and this dedication to bring a message to humanity, and to sharing that message, and to open people’s hearts and minds in a way they might not be before seeing the show … it’s so beautiful.”

Based in New York, Shen Yun Performing Arts is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance company. Along with folk dances and solo performances, the production depicts story-based pieces that tell tales from ancient times to the modern day.

Power of Shen Yun’s Music

As a singer/songwriter, who firmly believes that music can be a catalyst for emotional healing, Ms. Kay was deeply impressed with Shen Yun’s orchestra.

Shen Yun’s one-of-a-kind orchestra blends traditional Chinese instruments into a classical Western orchestra. Ancient Chinese instruments such as the two-string erhu and the pipa lead the melody amidst the traditional instruments found in a Western orchestra.

“The live orchestra absolutely made the show,” said Ms. Ray. “Receiving all that lovely music … was a beautiful, beautiful part of it.”

She was particularly moved by the erhu which is capable of conveying a broad range of emotions.

The erhu soloist “transported [us] to another world,” she said.

“I think that’s what the show was intending to do … it draws us into this divine world and gives us that vision of what life can be and maybe what life used to be in the traditional and the ancient times,” she added.

Ms. Ray resonated with Shen Yun’s spiritual philosophy that to create uplifting art; the artist must also cultivate a pure heart. Composing her music, she likewise believes that if her songs are “pure and heartfelt, then they will be a healing influence in people’s lives.”

In ancient times, Chinese music, medicine, calligraphy, clothing, and language were all believed to have been brought down from the heavens. Daily life was replete with rituals connecting man with the divine, explains the company’s website.

Ms. Ray and her mother commented that Shen Yun presented a China they “didn’t know existed.”

“I think my perception of China is very based on more recent events, and so it was beautiful to connect with that [traditional] culture,” said Ms. Ray. “I know that the modern version of China is not the true China, that it’s just what’s happening now.”

Along with myths and legends from ancient times, Shen Yun presents story-based dances depicting the current persecution of Falun Dafa, a meditation and spiritual discipline based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance.

“So much of the show was very peaceful and deeply relaxing, and there were some of those themes that were very thought-provoking,” she said. “I cried at one point—it was the first scene with the Falun Dafa.”

Love and Divinity

Ms. Ray and her mother were impressed to learn that the spiritual views of China’s traditional culture have a similar “thread” and “creation story” to many other cultures worldwide.

On Shen Yun’s final dance story, “Divine Renewal of the Human World,” Ms. Ray said it was beautiful to see the Creator bringing “beauty, light, and dance.”

“All we could hope for is that one day love and divinity does come back into the world,” she said.

“If you don’t believe in something greater than yourself, then you’re really just believing in your own power,” she added.

“If you’re motivated by only self-service, then there’s no sense of community, and it’s never going to be a good result for the world—if we’re not thinking about each other and serving a higher purpose and seeing each other as equals in that higher purpose rather than competition.”

Mrs. Smyth, likewise, said her takeaway from the performance is “that walking hand in hand with the divine brings safety, security, [and] that it’s real.”

“It’s the connection to the divine and the deep spiritual beliefs that came through in the performance today … so very inspiring spiritually,” she said.

Reporting by NTD and Jennifer Schneider.

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