SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

‘Magnificent’: Director, Engineer for New Zealand Police on Shen Yun

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‘Magnificent’: Director, Engineer for New Zealand Police on Shen Yun
Wayne Goodfellow enjoyed Shen Yun Performing Arts at St. James Theatre in Wellington, New Zealand, on April 16, 2023. Tang Ruozhou/The Epoch Times

WELLINGTON, New Zealand—Wayne Goodfellow said he would “definitely” recommend Shen Yun Performing Arts to his friends after catching the final of five sold-out shows in the city this year.

“If you want to see something very, very different and something really cultural, I’d recommend you come along,” he said on April 16.

Mr. Goodfellow, a director and engineer working for New Zealand Police, said he loves Shen Yun.

“I love the show ... I thought the dancing and their acting was magnificent,” he said. “Magnificent job.”

Shen Yun, founded in 2006, brings back to life legends and stories from China’s 5,000 years of divinely-inspired culture, conveying the timeless virtues passed through the ages.

Mr. Goodfellow said he “really enjoyed the stories.” He said he became “very emotional” watching one of the story-based performances.

The hallmark of Shen Yun is classical Chinese dance, one of the most comprehensive and expressive dance systems in the world. It is typically a storytelling art form.
Classical Chinese dancers say learning it is a process of learning what it means to be human, in that they must understand and then express via their movements the cultural and historical context of China, including the purity and calmness of bygone heroes.
Mr. Goodfellow also praised the live orchestra, which employs traditional Chinese instruments alongside a backdrop of classical symphony instruments.

“The music was fantastic,” he said, adding that he felt impressed by the synchronisation between the dancers and the orchestra.

“I did feel that the composer [was] doing amazing work and also watching the dancers with such passion and such flair. I thought I'd been star-struck.”

‘The World is Going to Heal and Be Made Well Again’

Helen Platford, a primary school teacher, felt Shen Yun’s overall message was one of “hope.”

“The world is going to heal and be made well again,” she said.

“The world is full of creativity,” Ms. Platford said. “Divinity and creativity and life, that’s what is important. To be creative, you must have this spirit. This divine spirit.”

According to Shen Yun’s website: “In the past, artists looked to the divine for inspiration. They would meditate and seek virtue. They believed that to create art that uplifts, they must first cultivate goodness.
“Today, Shen Yun’s artists follow this noble tradition. Their source of inspiration is the spiritual discipline known as Falun Dafa. Rooted in traditional Chinese culture, Falun Dafa incorporates meditation exercises and teachings of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance. Alongside their rigorous training, the artists meditate together, and require of themselves self-discipline and selflessness.”

Ms. Platford expressed she was thoroughly impressed by the digital backdrop, the live orchestra, and the all-handmade costumes. Platford noted how Shen Yun is also “very contemporary,” noting how some dancers portray “what’s happening in China at the moment.”

“That was quite interesting ... I am very cognizant of what’s happening over there so I’m finding [the performance] very interesting,” she said.

Shen Yun cannot be seen in China today, and there is no other performance like it in China today. This is because of the Chinese Communist Party’s systematic attempts to extinguish true Chinese culture, which runs contrary to Shen Yun’s mission. It is also because Shen Yun seeks to portray modern-day persecution on stage.

“I feel very compassionate and very ... I thought I saw something about organ harvesting ... I’ve heard, but it’s the first time I’ve seen it [performed on stage]. I thought: ‘ah, did I actually see that? I did,” she said. “That surprised me. It actually shocked me.”

Ms. Platford described Shen Yun’s performers as “brave, wonderful, strong, creative beautiful people.”

She said she would tell her friends and family that Shen Yun is “the most wonderful show, and it is a show of hope, hope in this world today.”
Reporting by Tang Ruozhou 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.
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