SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun ‘A Very, Very Good Cause Worldwide’: Retired French Naval Officer

Mar 25, 2025

3/25/2025Updated: 3/25/2025

MONTPELLIER, France—Denis Rivoallan, a former major in the French Navy, “had a truly magnificent evening” on March 23, seeing Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Corum in Montpellier.

Mr. Rivoallan had travelled from Nîmes to discover Shen Yun and plunge into 5,000 years of Chinese history and ancestral culture inherited from the divine. The Corum was honored to welcome the New York-based classical Chinese dance company for a second week of performances.

“It’s an enchanting show, and above all, it’s for a very, very good cause worldwide,” said Mr. Rivoallan, who has been awarded the Ordre National du Mérite. “It’s important to maintain these traditions and make them known throughout the world”.

Feeling “a certain zen-like state” throughout the show, Mr. Rivoallan appreciated the level of Shen Yun’s artists, who had “come from a very, very good school,” according to him.

“There’s an enormous amount of work and all these people deserve credit, not only for the memory of China, but also for all the work they do,” he said.

Based in New York, where its academies are also based, Shen Yun’s mission is to show audiences “China before communism.”

The former Naval officer felt benevolence emanating from the show: “It comes across very well from the artists because everything, even through some of the crisis talk, is still gentle and everything is well wrapped up to make a return to calm, to plenitude.”

Georges Bartoli made his career with the 2nd Regiment of Marine Infantry Parachutists (RPIMa). In 2020, the colonel was also awarded the Officer’s Cross of the Legion of Honor.

Georges Bartoli enjoyed Shen Yun at the Corum in Montpellier, France, on March 23, 2025. (NTD) — Georges Bartoli enjoyed Shen Yun at the Corum in Montpellier, France, on March 23, 2025. NTD

“In a single word, it’s perfect,” he said. “In terms of the coordination, in terms of the costumes, in terms of the special effects behind the backgrounds, and so on. It’s something extraordinary because you can’t imagine the work that goes into getting to this point of perfection!”

“In terms of special effects, the people who disappear, who end up on the screen, on the background, it’s extraordinary,” he added. The artistic level was “top-notch” for Mr. Bartoli, who believes “you can’t do any better.”

Mr. Bartoli said he understood precision from military parades, and “here, it’s really harmonious! It’s perfect!”

Pre-communism, the Chinese believed that their culture was an inheritance from the divine, placing spirituality at the heart of their daily lives. Everyone lived in harmony with Heaven and Earth, respecting and praising the deities.

Shen Yun’s revival of this ancient Chinese culture also places spiritual values at the heart of its performances.

Mr. Bartoli was sensitive to this aspect of the show: “There’s also a spiritual undertone to it. It’s not just dance, it’s not just choreography, the show is intended to convey a message of harmony.”

Mr. Bartoli was also touched by Shen Yun’s mission to revive 5,000 years of Chinese civilization.

“It’s important because everything is being lost now! That’s what people say, but it’s the reality, everything is being lost,“ he said. ”And the people who still have traditions, who still have goals, are coming together because they are really in the same frame of mind.”

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.