SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun Shares ‘Very Powerful Messages’: CEO

Apr 29, 2023

SYDNEY, Australia—Zirian Fatah said he would “definitely” recommend Shen Yun Performing Arts to his friends after attending the show at a packed house at the Sydney Lyric Theatre on April 28.

“It was a transcendent experience,” said Mr. Fatah, who is the CEO of Australian First Construction Group, a medium-sized construction company based in Sydney’s west.

Founded in 2006, New York-based Shen Yun seeks to restore the grandeur, the depth, and the diversity of five millennia of Chinese civilisation, which was once almost lost under communism. The company declares it is presenting “China before communism.”

“Definitely a good reminder to see that there is a part of the Chinese community that wishes for a different way—I would say it’s actually progressive rather than classical,” Mr. Matah said.

Shen Yun’s artists present classical Chinese dance, ethnic, and folk dances, as well as story-based dances that depict ancient myths and legends as well as modern day dramas.

“The dancers were very talented. It was very elegant dancing. ... there were very powerful messages through the dance, through the expression,” Mr. Fatah said of Shen Yun. “And [the performers] really did tell some powerful messages and stories throughout that.”

He shared: “A majority of the message for me was for people to go back to having faith and to not give up. And at the end of the day, there is a Creator a lot larger than man.

“I think it’s a very important message and a good reminder for people to know that there is a Creator. And for people to slow down a little bit.”

Shen Yun artists hail from across the globe. And each year, they also tour around the world. Millions of people have seen Shen Yun. As of 2023, Shen Yun has eight companies touring simultaneously, reaching almost 200 cities.

“It’s incredible that they’re doing this around the world. They’re doing this effort internationally. They’re doing it in a very peaceful and powerful way,” said Mr. Fatah.

“And I think at this grassroots level [the Shen Yun artists are] interacting with a lot of people on different levels.”

But because Shen Yun’s mission runs counter to that of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which has sought to destroy Chinese culture since it came to power in 1949, Shen Yun cannot be seen in China today.

“This [situation] is an unfortunate reality of greed and corruption and dirty politics that we are in 2023, and you still have tyrannical governments around the world taking advantage, commercial advantage,” Mr. Fatah said.

‘Please Come and Watch’: Founder of Law Firm

Jason Arraj, the principal and founder of Forward Legal, enjoyed Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Sydney Lyric Theatre in Sydney, Australia, on April 28, 2023. (NTD) — Jason Arraj, the principal and founder of Forward Legal, enjoyed Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Sydney Lyric Theatre in Sydney, Australia, on April 28, 2023. NTD

Jason Arraj, the principal and founder of Forward Legal, a law firm based in Sydney’s inner west, said he would tell his friends that Shen Yun is “absolutely magnificent,” and to “please come and watch.”

“I encourage everybody to come and watch this show. It’s quite amazing, you’ll walk away just as excited as I am,” said Mr. Arraj.

He was personally struck by the energy of Shen Yun.

“The energy, the costumes, the passion that the dancers have, it’s phenomenal. It’s exciting and passionate, and the stories that are told, they are really wonderful stories,” he said.

In a Shen Yun performance, audience members get to experience the timeless virtues and positive qualities of humanity, imbued in China’s divinely-inspired culture that have been passed down through the ages.

Mr. Arraj was particularly struck by an ethnic dance titled “Snowy Mountain Celebration,” in which young men pay their respects to the divine in a Tibetan dance set beneath towering Himalayan peaks.

“I like the Himalaya one, the one with the snowy mountains, the background, really touching, the passion involved in that [dance] was really beautiful,” he said.

“Really impressive, keep it up, the energy, the excitement, the stories, there’s such a story in history and culture, and I think that’s really important to be told,” Mr. Arraj said of his overall experience.

“Anywhere where you can show off your culture, show off your history, tell a story, show a journey, the past and leading into the future, it needs to be told and I think it’s wonderful that [Shen Yun artists] are celebrating that and taking it to as many places around the world.”

Reporting by NTD, Steve Xu, and Mimi Nguyen Ly.

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