TOULOUSE, France—When Antoine Mouchot came to see Shen Yun at the Zénith on Jan. 12, he wasn’t expecting to discover such a spectacle.
“I’m still amazed by the choreography. It’s really magnificent!” exclaimed the mechanical engineer.
Mr. Mouchot saw the performance with Sylvie Cabral, an environmental engineer, who said she “really loved” Shen Yun.
She said she felt “a lot of emotion, dynamism, rhythm” as well as “a lot of energy” while also experiencing “a bit of serenity and calm too.”
“And power too!” Mr. Mouchot added.
The name Shen Yun means “the beauty of divine beings dancing,” placing spirituality at the heart of the dance and song tableaux.
Ms. Cabral appreciated “this connection with the heavens, with the Mighty One. This inspiration was truly, truly exceptional!”
“It’s very, very important to have this harmony between the Earth, where we are ... This inspiration towards the beyond, it’s primordial,” said Ms. Cabral.
For Mr. Mouchot, Shen Yun conveyed “goodness and good values, contrary to what we experience today.”
Ms. Cabral said she felt “a great amount of humanity in this show.”
Shen Yun ‘Warmed My Heart’
Luiz Oliveira is a Brazilian aeronautical engineer who has come to work in Toulouse, and saw Shen Yun on Jan. 12.
“I love the dance, and I love the spiritual message behind it. I didn’t know about it, but I’m very happy to have come here and seen the show!” said Mr. Oliveira, who saw the performance with Mila Da Paola.
“It’s so, so beautiful! The performance ... Everything!” Ms. Da Paola said.
Describing the level of artistry as “very high, impressive,” Ms. Da Paola said, “the show warmed my heart. It’s so beautiful.”
“I was surprised to find that there is so much spirituality behind the dance,” said Mr. Oliveira.
Ms. Da Paola added that she felt in the performance a spiritual connection “with the Creator”.
For these two Brazilian spectators, Shen Yun simply conveys “happiness and joy,” they said.
Xavier Chardenoux, a bank branch manager, felt “a lot of positive energy” when he experienced Shen Yun.
The Shen Yun artists are, according to this executive, “really people, who, I think, put a lot of work into it. The harmony was really perfect.”
The connection to the divine is “really something quite strong,” Mr. Chardenoux added, describing Shen Yun’s final dance tableau in particular. “I saw a lot of yellow, I saw this yellow light, and it was something quite impressive!”
Marcel Vandermierde is a former Belgian gendarme now living in France. The retiree gave Shen Yun tickets to his wife for her birthday, and was himself more than impressed with the classical Chinese dance he saw.
“These typically Chinese movements, and especially the lightness of the movements, it’s magnificent,” he said after seeing the performance.
“You can’t imagine movements like that. The choreography, the occupation of the stage, it’s incredible! The mixture of the real show with the virtual backdrop is incredible,” Mr. Vandermierde said, referring to the animated backdrop that connects the dancers’ movements to the background scenery.
“You can see that they work with their hearts. They’re there, they love doing it, you can feel it. You can feel the energy coming out!” he said.
For the former military man, Shen Yun allows us to “reflect on the world that was and the world today. So it’s the difference between the two worlds of then and now. For me, I prefer the old world.”
