SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun Brings a Unique Experience to Danish Audience

Mar 28, 2022

AALBORG, Denmark—When people of all ages and backgrounds come together at Shen Yun Performing Arts they take away different kinds of positives from the experience. Leon Raydon who works for a visual effect company called Ghost, which provides visual effects for commercials and movies, found the combination of backdrops with the choreography impressive.

“I think it was very, very good also with the timing with the choreography, and the visuals you have in the background, that was really astonishing,” he said after the Shen Yun matinee at the Aalborg Congress & Culture Center (AKKC), on March 26.

His wife, Elitsa Raydon, was impressed by the harmony created by the live orchestra and what was happening on stage.

“The music is a part of the story. It creates the whole image together—you saw in some of the stories, the color of their clothes, it was responding to the colors of the others, there is an element that was there,” she said.

Based in New York, Shen Yun presents classical Chinese dance and music. With its story-based dances, vocalists, an orchestra that combines classical Western and traditional Chinese instruments, and animated backdrops creating unique effects, Shen Yun tours the globe each year, reviving China’s culture.

Shen Yun vocalists use the bel canto technique for singing, Mrs. Raydon thought the vocalists’ songs were spiritual.

“I am originally from Bulgaria. I think there was something for every person. The song choice, I think it was more connected with your culture because it was like spiritual-based. It makes you think we should go back to what it was before, to—the good things in life, and not pay so much attention to money, and to success—its the values that are more important than these,” she said.

Mr. Raydon took note of the translation of the songs were provided on the backdrop.

“In the song, [the soprano] was singing that success and fame are just moments’ bliss, and that is exactly what it is. Work is not everything—try to meet people, speak with them, live with them, enjoy food with them, sing with them, dance with them. That is how I interpret it, and I think that’s beautiful,” he said.

Shen Yun‘s dancers are trained in classical Chinese dance which is used to tell stories from China’s rich history. The couple enjoyed the way the positive energy of dancers both male and female was shared with the audience.

“These positive impulses, you are just blown away. And the smiles, the smiling, they really—it hits,” Mr. Raydon shared.

He appreciated the combination of beautiful music and athletic dancers providing an environment of great energy.

“Here, the solo dances are, it feels like it’s integrated in the whole, and that makes it extremely powerful, and beautiful. So it is perceived as a whole.”

Mr. Raydon recommends Shen Yun to everyone, saying “Go and see it—order the tickets immediately. Because you need that experience.”

Shen Yun Displays ‘Courage and Kindness’

Veleda Elkjær at the Aalborg Congress & Culture Center (AKKC), in Denmark, on March 26, 2022. (NTD) — Veleda Elkjær at the Aalborg Congress & Culture Center (AKKC), in Denmark, on March 26, 2022. NTD

For Veleda, a university student at the University of Ober, it was her first time watching Shen Yun.

“It was really beautiful and exciting and emotional, and so much experience in one moment, you know, it went by much too quickly. I would watch it 10 more times if I could,” she said.

She found the performance “really inspired a lot of kindness and coming together as one. I think people spend too much time by themselves and apart as separate. And I think the show was really a lesson of kindness and compassion towards each other, no matter where you’re from.”

Shen Yun portrays stories through classical Chinese dance, accompanied by an orchestra comprised of Eastern and Western instruments.

Among the drama pieces, Veleda enjoyed the humor in some.

“There were a couple of like, funny stories, but they still had like a deeper meaning, you know, so they were like, really entertaining. But still, you know that there was like more behind it. ... Also, the songs had really powerful messages behind them, which was really inspiring. So I enjoyed the whole thing.”

Her takeaway from her Shen Yun experience?

“Sometimes you forget to just be kind and ... also patient with others. It’s all about rushing around in the world nowadays. And sometimes it’s good to just stand still for a moment, she said.”

She also would recommend Shen Yun to her friends saying, “There’s still a lot of emotions and courage and kindness and joy to be found in something traditional like this.”

During the performance, Veleda felt some amazing emotions, “some scenes made me cry and some made me laugh—overall, it was a really great positive experience,” she said.

Designer, ‘Colors Emotionally Touched Me’

Esther Hoogewoonink at the Aalborg Congress & Culture Center (AKKC), in Denmark, on March 26, 2022. (NTD) — Esther Hoogewoonink at the Aalborg Congress & Culture Center (AKKC), in Denmark, on March 26, 2022. NTD

Esther Hoogewoonink, a fashion designer was taken by the originality of the costumes in Shen Yun when she attended the matinee session on March 26.

“The attention they gave to the original designs and the colors—it was really impressive,” she said. “The choice of the colors, the floating designs, and the comfort they show, yes, I would love to use some aspects of that in clothing design.”

She found the performance, and its many aspects, moving.

“The colors did touch me emotionally. And also the grace they could express in those costumes. That touched me too,” she explained.

“Because the color combinations are very vivid and strong. But the design makes it so smooth and gentle to move in. And that’s a unique combination. Often you see a very pretty dress, but it’s not so comfortable,” she said.

“And here, you could see the people dance and jump and do every move they wanted. And still, the clothes were telling their own story with just such grace. So I’m really inspired by that.”

Ms. Hoogewoonink spoke about how the colors on stage were part of the story-telling in the dance pieces.

“Also the background helped you to understand the colors of a specific area or the explanation helps you also to understand: okay, this is about the water or the heaven, and the colors matched with the story. Absolutely. And made it even, yes, speak stronger to you,” she commented.

Ms. Hoogewoonink summed up her takeaway from Shen Yun.

“Overwhelming joy. Absolutely. (It) was heavenly, it’s a beauty for the eye. But it’s also beauty for the soul. Because it comes from a real, authentic source,” she said.

Reporting by Zhang Yi and NTD.

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