SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

‘Pure Light, Pure Joy’: Shen Yun Brings Hope to Theatergoers in New Zealand’s Wellington

Apr 14, 2023

WELLINGTON, New Zealand—Mr. Gernot Hutflesz and Ms. Arie Krie-Hutflesz attended Shen Yun Performing Arts for the first time on April 14 and by the end of the night, both agreed their experience was “pure light, pure joy.”

“I don’t know what shows [Shen Yun has] done before, if this is an example of it, then wow, I can’t wait to see another show,” said Ms. Krie-Hutflesz, who works as a program manager for New Zealand’s Ministry of Justice.

“Amazing, awe struck, thank you so much for a wonderful evening,” Mr. Hutflesz said. “Very much a joyful and happy event.”

He said Shen Yun performers conveyed a message of “caring about one another, not letting go [of each other], not being selfish, being tolerant, and humanity.”

New York-based Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance company. Founded in 2006, Shen Yun artists have been touring the world for the past 16 years with a mission to revive the beauty and goodness of China before communism.

Every year, Shen Yun premieres a brand-new production. With eight companies touring simultaneously, this year’s global tour includes nearly 200 cities—including five sold-out performances in Wellington.

Mr. Hutflesz described the Shen Yun dancers as “moving, passionate, powerful,“ and ”really engaging.”

Ms. Krie-Hutflesz said Shen Yun’s mission to revive the almost-lost heritage of China is “very humbling.”

‘Absolutely’ Educational for Children

Dr. Trevor Lampacher and his wife, Hayley Lampacher, who have been married for over a decade, enjoyed Shen Yun with their 13- and 11-year-old sons on the same night.

“[It was] my suggestion is to come here. It is spectacular. It is a feast to the eye. Is beautifully done," Mrs. Lampacher said of Shen Yun.

Dr. Trevor Lampache and his wife, Hayley Lampache, enjoyed Shen Yun Performing Arts at St. James Theatre in Wellington, on April 14, 2023. (Yang Nan/The Epoch Times) — Dr. Trevor Lampache and his wife, Hayley Lampache, enjoyed Shen Yun Performing Arts at St. James Theatre in Wellington, on April 14, 2023. Yang Nan/The Epoch Times

She said she could see her sons were also enjoying the performance.

“The dance is beautiful, is exquisite. And I love learning. We are learning as we are watching. It is beautiful. You don’t even know you are learning about history and about the world right now and what’s happening in the world,” she said.

Shen Yun can be translated as “the beauty of divine beings dancing.” Each year, Shen Yun artists present on stage the richness and wonder of 5,000 years of divinely inspired culture that flourished in China, and the timeless virtues passed through the generations.

Mrs. Lampacher shared that Shen Yun’s performances “make us realize that we’re all different and we all come different places, and we just all need kindness and understanding, [and] that you don’t know anybody’s story, so just encourage them.”

Shen Yun performs classical Chinese dance, ethnic and folk dance, and story-based dance, with orchestral accompaniment and solo performers.

Mr. Lampacher said of the story-based dances are “great” and brings an “exciting and fun” edge to Chinese history.

“It is lovely, it is really really great,” he said of the overall experience. “It is very visually entertaining. It is bright. The way they use the mix media is really good, and the dance is really really slick and graceful. Beautiful music, beautiful singing.”

“It is a beautiful way to tell a story, to teach,” Mrs. Lampacher said. “People are learning or understanding things and not realizing that they are learning. They are learning but not sitting in a class being told.”

Mr. Lampacher agreed, adding that he believes Shen Yun is “absolutely” educational for children.

’There’s Hope’

Ms. Jackie Sutherland, who attended the performance on the night with Mr. John Pickett, described what she saw as “impressive,” “amazing,” and “visually gorgeous.”

She was quick to point out that Shen Yun dancers don jewelry that “matches the outfits.”

John Pickett and Jackie Sutherland enjoyed Shen Yun Performing Arts at St. James Theatre in Wellington, on April 14, 2023. (Li Xuan Ya/The Epoch Times) — John Pickett and Jackie Sutherland enjoyed Shen Yun Performing Arts at St. James Theatre in Wellington, on April 14, 2023. Li Xuan Ya/The Epoch Times

Each year, Shen Yun showcases more than 400 different Chinese costumes—all handmade and often hand stitched. The company’s wardrobe department also takes care of the various headpieces, shoes, boots, and other accessories, including jewelry, every season.

The costume artists collect and reference countless designs of traditional apparel in the creation process, to bring forth an authentic representation of attire from Chinese history.

Mr. Pickett described the dancers as “amazing.”

“The athleticism and the color, the passion, the enthusiasm ... it’s brilliant,” he said, adding that both the male and female dancers are “extremely athletic, and strong, and coordinated.”

“We’re very lucky to have [Shen Yun] here, very lucky,” said Ms. Sutherland, adding that she was aware that Shen Yun artists cannot currently perform in mainland China. “I think it’s a real shame,” she said of the situation.

But, Ms. Sutherland resonated with the positivity and hope conveyed in the show.

“There’s hope,” she said. “Also [Shen Yun’s] reference back to the Creator. For whatever religious reasons you believe in, that’s saying that there’s something else out there where we are not by ourselves. We are not whole unless we’ve actually got something else that we believe in, and that brings the hope.”

“It’s just lovely to see people feeling that sense of purpose and belonging and strength and who they are and what they’ve come from,” she said. “I think it’s awesome.”

“Come, definitely come, it’s an amazing show.”

Reporting by NTD, Yang Nan, Li Xuan Ya, 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.