SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun ‘Perfect and Very Creative’: Korean Art Critic

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Shen Yun ‘Perfect and Very Creative’: Korean Art Critic
Art critic Chang Seokyong enjoyed Shen Yun’s evening performance at the National Theater of Korea on Feb. 17, 2023. Kim Guk-hwan/The Epoch Times

SEOUL, South Korea—On the evening of Feb. 17, Shen Yun completed its fourth sold-out performance at the National Theater of Korea. Chang Seokyong, the president of South Korea’s Association of Art Critics, had high praise for the artists.

“If you’re looking to understand the spirit of Asia or attain success in the art world, you must first see Shen Yun,” he exclaimed.

“From Manchuria to Tibet, the performance showcased the diverse regions and cultures of China. Though we may never travel to those places in person, we got a chance to learn about them through the performance. That makes me very happy,” he said. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to learn about the history and traditional culture. I’m really thankful to Shen Yun for that.”

Shen Yun Performing Arts is the world’s leading classical Chinese dance and music company. The mission of its New York-based artists is to bring back China’s lost culture and its belief in the divine through beautiful art.

As an art critic, Mr. Chang has seen many performances in his lifetime and is familiar with all forms of art. “Shen Yun was perfect and very creative. In terms of how it’s structured and the performers’ technical skills—it is first-rate. Just by looking at them, you can tell they’ve gone through rigorous training.”

For thousands of years, Chinese people believed that their culture was a gift of the divine. This echoed Mr. Chang’s own beliefs.

“Dance and the arts are all methods for people to get closer to the divine. It doesn’t matter if you’re in China or Korea, it’s all the same—dance is a way for humans to communicate with the heavens. This is a prevalent knowledge in the art world,” he said.

Since its advent in 2006, Shen Yun has grown to become a global sensation with eight equally sized companies set to perform in more than 180 cities this season.

However, for its insistence on presenting the truth of events under communist rule in present-day China, Shen Yun is banned by the ruling communist regime from performing in China.

“It’s such a pity! I can’t understand it at all,” Mr. Chang lamented. “This is something that Chinese people should all see—they need it, they must watch this performance!”

“People must know what’s going on in the world. Regardless if it’s a belief or a political ideology, only when people truly understand what’s happening can they be objective in their judgments and decisions.”

An Kyuchul purchased tickets for Shen Yun Performing Arts after hearing good things about it from his friends in the entertainment industry. (Kim Guk-hwan/The Epoch Times)
An Kyuchul purchased tickets for Shen Yun Performing Arts after hearing good things about it from his friends in the entertainment industry. Kim Guk-hwan/The Epoch Times

An Kyuchul, the president of South Korea’s Solar Tech Development Association, couldn’t agree more.

“I’ve attended many performances when I traveled to China, but none of them can compare with Shen Yun. They’re not of the same caliber at all, it’s beyond comparison,” he said. “In terms of quality and depth, Shen Yun is on a much higher level. I love that.”

Mr. An enthusiastically shared that Shen Yun has made a huge splash in South Korean society.
“I saw the advertisement on Facebook and noticed that people I knew had left comments in the review section. I also asked my acquaintances in the entertainment industry for their feedback after seeing Shen Yun and they all replied that it’s excellent. So, I bought the tickets.”
After experiencing the performance for himself, Mr. An said he was mesmerized by Shen Yun’s patented digital projections. “The stagecraft and the 3-D backdrop were magnificent. The colors and images were very clean and pure. I felt like my soul got pulled into the stage. It was very cool.”
Poet and literary critic Lee Sihwan attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at the National Theater of Korea on Feb. 17, 2023. (Lee You-jung/The Epoch Times)
Poet and literary critic Lee Sihwan attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at the National Theater of Korea on Feb. 17, 2023. Lee You-jung/The Epoch Times

Also in the audience on the evening of Feb. 17 was South Korean poet and literary critic Lee Sihwan. He, too, was astounded by what he saw.

“It made me feel like I traveled back in time,” he said. “By combining China’s 5,000 years of culture with modern technology, Shen Yun has produced something that’s completely unique. I think it’s very interesting.”

For Mr. Lee, a good performance must be well-balanced. It must have a clear contrast between the slow and the fast, the powerful and the gentle.

“Shen Yun has achieved all of that and reached the epitome of yin-yang balance. Anyone who is familiar with traditional Chinese culture can understand,” he said. “Shen Yun incorporated all the principles.”

Mr. Lee will definitely be recommending Shen Yun to his friends.

“Shen Yun is swimming against the current in this modern society. The performance puts a pause on our busy lives and forced us to stop and think. Our heart and soul got a much-needed rest—that’s very meaningful.”

Reporting by Epoch Times Staff in Seoul, South Korea.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
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