PARIS—Franck Leze, a senior manager at the French Ministry of Finance, felt pleasant and light after seeing Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Palais des Congrès de Paris on April 6. The dancers were “actually appearing with great gaiety. It was really very pleasant.”
The “really interesting show [was] magnificent, magical,” he said of New York-based Shen Yun, the world’s premier classical Chinese dance company. Founded in 2006, the company aims to revive 5,000 years of Chinese civilization through music and dance and travels each year to cities throughout the world.
Mr. Leze felt the quality of the dancing was very fine and well-coordinated, a comment expressed by many viewers. Some have mentioned that the dancers seem to be one person with many legs.
He described the dances as unique, the choreography as sublime, and that the dancers were able to express emotions powerfully.
Classical Chinese dance, developed and refined over the millennia in imperial courts and through ancient plays, is known for its unique ability to express any physicality—from drunkenness to a state of reverence—and every emotion—from anger to fear, love, and devotion.
Due to its expressivity, classical Chinese dance provides a rich medium for storytelling. Of the nearly 20 short programs that make up each performance, several depict legends, events from history, or tales from literature that exemplify time-honored virtues.
Considering these, Mr. Leze felt the overall performance enabled us “to look back at our current society and perhaps at the old values that we should … rediscover a little more.”
There is another aspect of the dance that audience members often cite: a connection to the divine, Mr. Leze also felt this connection. He felt a great sensitivity. “In fact, the sensitivity you feel towards the dancers, you feel it deep down inside.”
A Birthday Celebration
Also attending the April 6 performance were medical doctors Hille Kessler and her husband, Achim Schuppert. They, too, felt a connection between themselves and the dancers within an atmosphere of kindness and compassion.
Dr. Hille Kessler and her husband, Dr. Achim Schuppert at Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Palais des congrès de Paris on April 6, 2024. NTD
The couple had come in from Luxembourg for the performance to celebrate Dr. Kessler’s birthday. Dr. Schuppert, having traveled to and loved China, felt seeing Shen Yun would be a wonderful present for his wife. They were not disappointed.
“A great, great pleasure for me to be here and see the show,” Dr. Schuppert said.
Dr. Kessler has seldom seen such a high caliber and refined performance: “very elegant, very harmonic, and also the spiritual sense behind it touches me a lot.”
“I had a deep feeling of spirituality, all the messages, and, yes, it was a deep feeling. It was emotional. I was nearly crying a little bit,” she said.
Dr. Schuppert agreed: “Yeah, I think it was very emotional. And I’m now interested to learn more about Falun [Gong].
Some of the more emotional dances portray the current plight of Falun Gong in China, a spiritual path dedicated to the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. Since 1999, the adherents have met persecution at every level of society by the Chinese Communist Party.
Dr. Kessler said the message of the divine came through in many ways: “I think the whole composition with the dance, with the message which was given by the stories, and all the spiritual things, and … the song of the tenor also showed me a very deep sense, I think, which is very important for the world just at this moment.”
Dr. Schuppert added: Yes, it has a lot to say for our cultural life today.”
Adding some additional thoughts, Dr. Kessler said the performance reminded her to not forget “all the traditions, not only in China, but in all the world. We have to stay in our traditions, …, and to be more basic and not overdriven by all the modern things which are coming. [These are] not the best thing for the world, I think.”
“I felt the worth of the old Chinese culture, which is very, very old … has a lot to say for our daily life.”
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