SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun Reminds Swiss Audience of Traditional Values

Jan 17, 2023

LAUSANNE, Switzerland—Being in a country filled with diversity, Shen Yun Performing Arts is right at home. The 2022–2023 season has brought Shen Yun Performing Arts to Lausanne’s Théâtre de Beaulieu.

“I think it’s a nice reminder of the past values and how it used to be and what we used to aspire to and maybe what we should bring back,” said Aleksandra Kalentic, a lawyer and former dancer, after a performance on Jan. 16.

New York-based Shen Yun utilizes classical Chinese dance to tell stories of what China was before communism.

“As a former dancer, I’m really appreciating the skills and the unity of all the dancers,” Ms. Kalentic added.

Shen Yun draws inspiration from China’s 5,000 years of civilization. Those 5,000 years covers many dynasties all with their own culture and customs.

“I think the combination of all the music and dance and the visuals—make us feel something special. Like from another world,” said Ms. Kalentic.

One of the many factors that make Shen Yun unique is its use of a digital background. This is Shen Yun’s patented technology, with the technology allowing the stage to be extended endlessly.

“I love the combination of the modern multimedia with the traditional costumes and dance. I think it’s the right amount of the modern screen and the action that goes behind,” said Ms. Kalentic.

Derek Abell at the Shen Yun Performing Arts performance at Théâtre de Beaulieu, on Jan. 17, 2023. (NTD) — Derek Abell at the Shen Yun Performing Arts performance at Théâtre de Beaulieu, on Jan. 17, 2023. NTD

Derek Abell, a Professor of Management, was also in the audience for this performance.

He was also impressed with the digital background that allowed the dancers to go anywhere the heart desired.

“That’s what gave the idea of the divine during the show. Things went into the sky, came back from the sky. It was this idea that impressed me a lot,” said Mr. Abell.

So many components made Shen Yun spectacular for Mr. Abell, but he mostly appreciated the performance as a whole.

“They say in German, ‘Gesamt Kunst’ (total art)—that means spectacle, color, music, dancers, divine. So it was the whole that I took as an idea. It is not only a thing, it is a whole. And I also really liked the solos, the sopranos, the tenors, and the instrument that was wonderful, this instrument with two strings,” he said.

The instrument with two strings refers to the erhu, a traditional Chinese instrument with a history of over 4,000 years.

Being familiar with ballet, Mr. Abell could tell that classical Chinese dance is a distinct form of dance that uses “yuan chang,” small, quick steps, to give the impression of floating across the stage.

“I work a little bit with the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow and I thought, this is totally different. And I saw that dancers are doing small steps, that’s typically Chinese. I really liked the stories that are linked with the dance.”

Reporting by NTD and Maria Han.

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