TOULON, France—Shen Yun Performing Arts presents classical Chinese dance, an ancient art form, in its purest form. Its expressive yet athletic character has won the hearts of audiences at the Zenith in the capital of the Var region.
Mr. Lalouette has been the IT director for major international groups such as LVMH, and Virbac, a laboratory specializing in animal health with 2,700 employees at the time he worked there.
“I think there’s an extraordinary work ethic and, above all, a sense of harmony. There’s a sense of team cohesion and a determination to achieve excellence,” he said of the artists’ performance.
Mr. Lalouette felt “a lot of emotion” during the performance. He explained that these emotions came from “passing on the story” that the artists are “making their country known despite the fact that they have left it, and so you feel this rupture from all the actors.”
Indeed, not only is Shen Yun unable to perform in China, but many of the company’s artists had escaped the religious persecution of the Chinese communist regime.
“Then once again, the excellence, extraordinary, and above all the harmony with all the colors,” Mr. Lalouette said.
The digital, animated backdrop, a technology patented by Shen Yun, obviously didn’t escape the computer scientist’s notice: “The use of technology, the style, the paintings behind ... you can’t see it at all, the transition between the artists both on stage and when they leave, I think it’s a very beautiful staging. It’s fantastic.”
“There are a number of ancestral things. Above all, history is much more important than even our own. In Europe, we’re already very happy with our history, and in France in particular, with our history as a whole. And here, we see that there’s a world before us,” Mr. Lalouette said.
Mr. Lalouette added, “I'd advise everyone to go and see this show.
Dorit Viel came from Nice with three other people to see Shen Yun’s performance on Thursday, April 3 at Toulon’s Zénith, and found the artists “exceptional.”
“We came all the way from Nice to Toulon to see this magnificent show. Frankly, it’s sumptuous,” said Ms. Viel, a former Caisse d'Épargne advisor, now retired. “It’s a marvel! Frankly, it’s a beautiful, beautiful show. I highly recommend it to anyone who hasn’t seen it before.”
The spiritual aspect of ancient China, which she felt very present in the show, was very much to Ms. Viel’s liking.
“I think it’s very good, and if it can get a message across to all the people here who don’t understand what life is about and what we need to do to be in harmony with each other, that’s a bit of a shame. So if it got the message across for some people, so very well,” she said.
The former Caisse d'Épargne advisor identified a message of benevolence through Shen Yun. “It’s what we should all have in us,” she hopes.
As for the artists, Ms. Viel wanted to congratulate them “from the bottom of her heart. The work they do is wonderful. So, bravo! Bravo to them!
