SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

‘Everything Was Exquisite,’ Says Creative Director About Shen Yun

Apr 14, 2023

NEW YORK—Shane Savant, the creative director for Webster Hall, and his friend Helen Anderson, a hobbyist musician, watched Shen Yun Performing Arts for the first time at the David H. Koch Theater at the Lincoln Center on April 13.

“It’s spectacular,” said Mr. Savant. “I was very impressed by the myriad of costume changes and the music. Everything was exquisite.”

Based in New York, Shen Yun was founded in 2006 and is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company. Now with eight equally sized companies touring the world simultaneously, Shen Yun’s mission is to revive traditional Chinese culture and to give its audiences a glimpse of pre-communist China.

Mr. Savant and Ms. Anderson said they both enjoyed the Tibetan ethnic dance.

“I liked the high energy,” Mr. Savant explained. “I liked the traditional costume presentation, and the choreography seemed very intricate.”

Mr. Savant added that he liked the opening piece, which depicts divine beings following the Creator down to Earth to establish Chinese civilization.

“The opening was very grand too,” he said. “[It] was very beautiful, very majestic, and ethereal.”

‘Land of the Divine’

According to Shen Yun’s website, China was once known as “the Land of the Divine.” Ancient Chinese people believed their culture, deeply rooted in the spiritual teachings of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism, was a gift from the Heavens. However, these beliefs were abolished when the atheist Chinese Communist Party came to power.

Mr. Savant said that his interest in Buddhism made him appreciate the spiritual elements of Shen Yun’s performance.

“I love all the Buddhist references,” said Mr. Savant. “Even though I’m American, and I was raised with Christianity, I’ve always felt a draw to Buddhism. So even in my daily life, a lot of my personal spiritual philosophies are rooted deeply in Buddhism, so I appreciate it very much … It was so well done.”

‘Flawless’ Orchestra

Mr. Savant and Ms. Anderson were also both impressed by Shen Yun’s live orchestra, which combines traditional Chinese and Western instruments.

Ms. Anderson, who can play multiple instruments, said she found herself “switching between the stage and the orchestra … because it fascinates me to watch them.”

Mr. Savant shared that he had purposely bought seats with a good view of both the orchestra pit and the stage. He described the music as “so flawless … it sounded like a recording.”

“It was so perfect,” he said, adding that his favorite instrument was the erhu, a traditional Chinese two-stringed instrument.

Another element of the performance Mr. Savant enjoyed was Shen Yun’s patented animated backdrop, which allows performers to move between the stage and the background.

“That was a lovely surprise,” said Mr. Savant.

“I understand, working now as a production designer, how intricately that has to be timed. The fact that you have live music, with something prerecorded with live dancers, I understand the amount of rehearsal and detail that went in the forethought and planning that went into that. I appreciate it very much,” he said.

“Congratulations to everyone in the cast and the producers,” Mr. Savant added. “I appreciate what goes into it, and I’m glad to see after all these years, it’s still so successful. I hope you guys have many more years of success, and we will definitely be back next year.”

Reporting by Dongyu Teng and Wandi Zhu.

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