MONTPELLIER, France—On Wednesday, March 5, Sylvie Chouvet and her mother came to discover 5,000 years of Chinese civilization, presented through the music and classical Chinese dance of New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts.
Ms. Chouvet is a regional director of a recruitment agency. She said she experienced “a lot of lightness through the stories which depicted scenes of life.”
His mother, Christine Perret, considers Shen Yun to be both “magnificent” and “technical.”
For Sylvie Chouvet, this connection to the divine is “a wonderful discovery.”
“It’s great, we often discover it through readings or old films, and this is refreshing,” she said.
Magali Sévenier is a sales manager. She made her name in the reality TV world by taking part in Koh-Lanta. Mrs. Sévenier is also a former sports coach, having trained members of a Montpellier handball club.
According to her, Shen Yun is “very dynamic.” She was also able to identify “a lot of rigor” and “a lot of hard work”, while sensing “a lot of serenity” among Shen Yun’s artists.
“It’s a bit of a shame, really, that they have to do it from New York and can’t do it in their own country, freely and in good conscience,” she said.
They enjoyed the performances, which they deemed “extraordinary.” The couple consider Shen Yun to be “an awakening to spirituality.”
“That’s what touched me the most, this elevation they have through their art, towards the divine. It’s extraordinary, and I hope it will awaken Europeans and Westerners,” Mrs. Richard said.
“Rediscovering our true human essence in relation to the divine ... it’s extraordinary! I was very, very, very happy to discover that,” she added.
“It’s almost an apostolate, their show is a marvel!” Mrs. Richard said.
Olivier Bouley is a psychiatric nurse at Montpellier University Hospital. Seeing Shen Yun exceeded his expectations.
A musician, Mr. Bouley plays the bassoon. He was particularly impressed by Shen Yun’s orchestra, which is unique in the world, combining traditional Chinese instruments such as the two-stringed erhu with a classical Western symphony orchestra.
For Mr. Bouley, Shen Yun’s artists are “excellent.”
“You can’t imagine the work that goes into it,” he says. “Because the dance and the music have to be perfectly coordinated. It’s an enormous amount of work, and the dancers follow this movement with apparent simplicity. My hat’s off to them.”
“I find a certain unity in the basic perception of the divinity that creates and entrusts, that intercedes in the world, something that is much neglected these days,” he said.
Many today think they can do without God, he said, and he found Shen Yun showed the entirely opposite view.
“It’s a real breath of fresh air for me! I’m so happy to be in communion with a spirituality that may be different, but one with which we’re in tune, nonetheless!” he said.
