SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun ‘So Bright and Original,’ Says Company CEO

May 07, 2023

SYDNEY, Australia—Alex Ganji, CEO of Rushing Waters Billiards, was inspired by Shen Yun Performing Arts and their conviction to share the positive message of their beliefs when he attended a full house performance at Sydney Lyric Theatre on May 6.

“Shen Yun was amazing,” Mr. Ganji said. “It was basically so bright, original; it was just amazing to watch. All the costumes were unique, and all the people were so talented. You could see so much hard work has gone into it.”

Shen Yun, based in New York, was founded in 2006 by elite artists from all over the world who came together with a mission to revive China’s five millennia of traditional culture. The company offers a performance that celebrates “China before communism.”

Mr. Ganji thought the company succeeded in its mission after experiencing Shen Yun on Saturday evening.

“I think that they have a very strong message through the choreography,“ he said. ”I think they’re very passionate about what they do. They’re true professionals in all they do.”

As a Christian, Mr. Ganji found himself wanting to learn more about the beliefs of Shen Yun’s performers and artists, impressed by what he described as their strength of conviction.

Shen Yun’s dancers, musicians, and artists practice Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong, a spiritual cultivation discipline in which adherents follow the core tenets of truth, compassion, and forbearance. A number of Shen Yun performers have suffered and escaped persecution for their faith in China.

“I think they stand strong on their beliefs. I think that they’re very firm in their beliefs, and they bring their message across very clear to the audience,” Mr. Ganji said.

According to Shen Yun, each performance consists of around 20 pieces that depict Chinese legends, regions, and dynasties, with themes that range from the “elegance of Tang court ladies” to the “battlefields heroics of valiant generals,” as well as scenes in magical realms. The performance seeks to convey China’s rich spiritual civilisation before the tyranny of the atheistic Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

On Shen Yun depicting tales of the CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in the 21st century, Mr. Ganji felt the performance was encouraging for people of faith.

“I think that because they’re so passionate and strong about their beliefs that they hold good value to what they stand for. So I think it’s very encouraging for people with the same beliefs,” he said.

“I personally believe in Jesus Christ, so I stand for him. However, they mentioned God and Satan on the screen. I'd like to look into it a bit more and see what they actually believe in,” he added.

“I think it was eye-opening,” said Mr. Ganji, who has waited, along with his wife, to experience Shen Yun since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

‘I’m Really Blown Away’

Carla Haroutonian (L) and Ava Levin attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at Sydney Lyric Theatre, in Sydney, Australia, on May 6, 2023. (Rebecca Zhu/The Epoch Times) — Carla Haroutonian (L) and Ava Levin attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at Sydney Lyric Theatre, in Sydney, Australia, on May 6, 2023. Rebecca Zhu/The Epoch Times

Shen Yun’s patented digital backdrop added a whole new level of creativity to the performance that impressed friends Carla Haroutonian and Ava Levin, who attended the same performance.

During intermission, the friends shared their thoughts on the skill and creativity of the artists and performers, as well as Shen Yun’s mission to revive traditional Chinese culture before it was almost lost under communism.

“I’m really blown away. It’s honestly been spectacular aesthetically, the dancing; the history as well. I think it’s beautiful,” said Ms. Levin, who is a singer.

Ms. Haroutonian, a researcher at the renowned Westmead Institute for Medical Research, thought Shen Yun’s patented digital backdrop, which seamlessly extends the stage, made Shen Yun “creative and unique.”

“It’s very creative,” she said. “The dancing is excellent. The costumes are beautiful.”

Ms. Levin was impressed by the skill of the dancers. “It’s almost just like watching one person do all the moves, like everyone’s in sync. It’s spectacular, and the storyline is just phenomenal,” she said.

Ms. Haroutonian, who has Armenian heritage, was particularly struck by a mini-drama depicting China under communist tyranny.

“I really like the storyline as well,” Ms. Haoutonian said. “They were telling the story with when communism came in. That quite struck a chord,” she added.

Ms. Haoutonian said Shen Yun’s mission to revive traditional Chinese culture is important because otherwise, this history would remain hidden away.

“When you have a culture of thousands of years, it’s really important to maintain that. Of course, growth happens in every country and every culture, but it’s really important to maintain [tradition] as much as possible,” she said.

Ms. Haoutonian said she resonated with Shen Yun’s mission, as she had seen what happened to Armenia when it was under Soviet control.

“I’m also from a post-Soviet country, so I think I quite resonate with that and the change that happens and also the difficulty to go back to that culture once communism comes in,” Ms. Haroutonian said.

“So I think it’s actually quite sad. I think I’m coming from my own experience because once those changes happen, if things shift again, it’s very hard to go back to how things were in that environment,” she added.

Ms. Levin felt that it’s “absolutely important” that every generation know their cultural heritage and where they’ve come from. “I think it makes you who you are, and I think it’s really, really important to keep that,” she said.

As someone who was influenced in their upbringing by both orthodox religion and atheism, Ms. Levin found Shen Yun’s message of upholding spiritual civilization “really powerful.”

“Religion is almost less important in a lot of different cultures, but I love that they’ve shown how important it is still in the Chinese culture, and it’s really, really beautiful,” she said.

As a musician, Ms. Levin praised the live Shen Yun Orchestra and described it as magical.

“It’s beautiful having a live orchestra,” she said. “I think makes a massive difference, and I think the fact that it’s incorporated in all the moves, like the rhythm when certain movements are hit. I love that! It makes it really magical.”

Reporting by NTD, Rebecca Zhu, and Caden Pearson.

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