DUBLIN—The Convention Centre in Dublin was alight with traditional Chinese music and dance on the evening of April 19 as Shen Yun Performing Arts wowed Dublin theatregoers.

One overwhelmed member of the audience was Sean Byrne, a traditional Irish musician, who has been to China and was surprised that he was not able to witness a performance of Shen Yun’s calibre there. Shen Yun cannot be seen in Mainland China as it depicts China’s long-standing relationship with the divine which is repressed by the atheist regime ruling the country.

“I thought it was stunning, absolutely spectacular. I have been to China and I have seen some of their culture. I think this has surpassed anything that I have seen there.”

Mr Byrne said it would be very difficult to single out one particular aspect of the performance because everything was of such high quality. However, if he had to choose one dance it would have to be Delicate Beauty of the Han.

“The Han Dynasty (202 B.C.E.–220 C.E.) was China’s first golden age,” the Shen Yun programme says. “Its legacy lives on today as the name Han is used to refer to core aspects of Chinese culture, such as language (han-yu) and traditional clothing (han-fu).

“Now revisiting this dynasty, we find gentle maidens in silken skirts and water sleeves. Between a still pond and trees sprinkled with spring flowers, they spin and twirl in symphony, like a concert of dancing petals in the wind.”

Mr Byrne said, “I mean picking out an excellent piece from among excellent pieces is difficult to do but that stands out in my mind.”

Another aspect of the performance that impressed the musician was the graceful movement from the dancers.

“The gentleness of the movements the serenity of the dancers that really came across, it was very relaxing to watch. It wasn’t exciting, get up stamp your feet, it was more calming.”

Mr Byrne said the performance was ‘an experience’ for him. He described it as looking at “a tapestry for the senses. You absorb the total. That was my experience.”