SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun Showcases ‘Another Side of China,’ Says Doctor

Mar 09, 2024

SYDNEY, Australia—Deepak Prasad, an oncology specialist, said he was very happy to see “another side of China” after experiencing Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney on the evening of March 9.

“The cultural aspect of it was just so brilliant. It was just beautifully performed,” he said of Shen Yun’s presentation of 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture.

New York-based Shen Yun is on a mission to revive the traditions of China’s deeply-rooted, divinely-inspired culture that have been nearly pushed to extinction. Mr. Prasad said he thinks that wish is “fantastic.”

He also noted quite a number of common values between traditional Chinese and Indian cultures.

“We saw some similarities as well between the cultures, which is quite good to know. And there’s a lot of things: Kindness may be the first one and then humanity in general—I think that’s common to everyone.”

Fellow doctor Praveen Kallimath, a general practitioner, found Shen Yun to be “very impressive.”

He expressed admiration for the dancers, who looked so natural in their movements.

“I think you see the importance of discipline, and you see how effort can give good results. That’s the kind of feeling I’ve got today,” he said.

‘Synchronisation Insane’

Ragini Sood (C) attends Shen Yun Performing Arts with her family at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney, Australia, on March 9, 2024. (Melanie Sun/The Epoch Times) — Ragini Sood (C) attends Shen Yun Performing Arts with her family at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney, Australia, on March 9, 2024. Melanie Sun/The Epoch Times

Dancer of 22 years Ragini Sood, who owns a dance business in Sydney and is trained in Indian classical dance, said seeing classical Chinese dance was a special experience for her.

“The whole thing was incredible. I was just talking to my family about how fit they would be and how strong they all are. And it was so in sync.

“I’ve seen ballets before, and I’ve seen professional dance performances before, but the synchronisation was insane, it was crazy,” she said.

Ms. Sood also really enjoyed all the playful pieces performed by the men. “I liked the elements of playfulness and a bit of cheekiness tied in with the dancing.”

She said she was leaving the performance feeling “uplifted, inspired—definitely as a dancer as well.”

“And I would definitely recommend the show to other people I know while it’s here,” she said.

Belief in the Creator

Sheree Taylor attends Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney, Australia, on March 9, 2024. (Melanie Sun/The Epoch Times) — Sheree Taylor attends Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney, Australia, on March 9, 2024. Melanie Sun/The Epoch Times

Business owner, winemaker, and horticulturist Sheree Taylor was also impressed by the stories and particularly the spirituality presented by Shen Yun.

“It was lovely to see such a spiritual and traditional musical background coming through. It’s nice to know it’s still alive and it’s great that the company operates from New York,” she said of the art capital of the world.

She said that Shen Yun proves that the Chinese people still have their divinely inspired traditional values and that they haven’t lost hope despite the trying circumstances of living in a dictatorship.

“They believe very much in the Creator. It comes through in the dance and music,” she said. “It’s fabulous.”

“In the modern day, people have such a suspicion of Chinese people. [But] when you see the traditional values and the hope that’s still alive, it puts us on a very equal level. So that was what was nice to learn,” she said.

Reporting by Anne Zhong, Julia Ye, and Melanie Sun.

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