ROUBAIX, France—The Courouble family attended Shen Yun Performing Arts, with their three children, on Friday, Feb. 22, at the Colisée de Roubaix.

The Couroubles are well versed in classical arts, and their children have been dancers for many years.

“This is the second time we’ve come with the children. It’s really important to bring the children because the three of them are involved in classical dance,” Mrs. Charlotte Courouble said.

Josephine, 19, Anatole, 17 and Léonie, 15, have been learning Western classical dance since they were very young.

The overall movements were mesmerizing! And technically really, it was incredible. I really liked it, it was impressive,” said Anatole. The high school student was happy to discover classical Chinese classical dance because he found links to his own understanding of classical dance, and thought it would be interesting to try classical Chinese dance as well.

For Léonie, the youngest sibling, the show was just sublime.

“We let ourselves be carried away, we forget the technique even if we know from experience how much work is behind it ... But really we let ourselves be captivated, it’s magnificent,” Léonie said.

Josephine has begun studies in physics. While she was also sensitive to the dancers’ technical side, which she found incredible, for her, Shen Yun is above all “a journey through the Chinese culture.”

Josephine was particularly moved by the dance revealing a contemporary scene: the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in mainland China.

“I was very impressed by the dance on the persecution,” she said. “It’s brave of them to talk about it ... I thought it was very brave of them.”

Falun Gong is a spiritual discipline based on the principles of “truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance.” It is an ancient method deeply rooted in traditional Chinese culture. Currently practiced and recognized throughout the world, Falun Gong has been seriously persecuted by the Chinese regime since 1999.

Mr. and Mrs. Courouble also enjoyed the performance. They felt it revealed the stories, aesthetics, and diversity of ancient China.

For Mr. Nicolas Courouble, this journey into the Chinese culture allowed him to establish links with the medical field: “In practice, we are inspired a little bit by meditation. Now it’s starting to be used in medical practice, even in Western medicine! It may be a somewhat of a westernized version, but some Buddhist teachings are now used on a daily basis in pain relief centers for example.”

His profession aside, Mr. Courouble added that it made him think of his own spirituality as well.

“I am convinced that one way or another, we all need to look for a little spirituality. We cannot limit ourselves to materialism!” he said.

For Charlotte Courouble, the spirituality of the traditional Chinese culture she saw had a soothing effect. She said this was magnified by the inspired scenery of Shen Yun’s animated backdrop to create a unique effect.

“[The dancers] are really transmitting all the culture and the divinities,” she said. “We feel carried away by such divinity.”

Mrs. Charlotte Courouble also commented on the amount of work the performers must have put in to such a high artistic level, and felt inspired.

“It makes us want to go beyond the excellence that is presented to us in this show,” she said.