DUBLIN—Shen Yun Performing Arts greatly impressed Vincent Sex, a retired doctor of Chinese Medicine, while he attended Shen Yun’s first performance in The Dublin Convention, on April 19.

He said, “It was the grace. The thing about the Eastern, and particular in [the] Chinese dance, is that it involves the holistic movement of the body.

“It’s not just particularized in Western scientific linear thinking. In the West we tend to use particular muscles, and particular movements, whereas in Eastern philosophy you get a holistic approach so you get the total fluidity of the body.”

It was the first of two performances being held in the Irish capital on April 19 and 20.

The dance The Steadfast Lotus brought to mind an incident he saw in Xian in China 20 years ago, Mr Sex said.

“One particular scene where the mother and daughter were repressed by the police reminded me of an experience I had in China,“ he said. ”I was in China 20 years ago in Xian and there was a young boy protesting on the corner with a placard. The dance was a tremendous reminiscent of how the Chinese police bullied him and shouted at him. They made him feel terrible with their drawing blood.”

Mr. Sex remarked how light on their feet the dancers were compared to Western ballet dancers. “I found it very graceful. There was not as much thumping around the stage [as] you hear with Western ballet,“ he said. ”The movements are very reminiscent of the moves that you see in tai chi and qigong.”

Martial arts and classical Chinese dance have a shared root, explains Shen Yun’s website.

Reporting by Martin Murphy and Gerald O'Connor

New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit Shen Yun Performing Arts. 

The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time. We have proudly covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.