SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun ‘Top Class’, ’11 out of 10,' Says Bollywood Choreographer

Apr 20, 2023

LONDON—Honey Kalaria, artist and busy Bollywood choreographer for film and television, found much to appreciate in Shen Yun Performing Arts.

“I work on many, many productions,” she said. “So when you look at a good caliber show, a high-quality show, you will always have really, really appreciated it. So when I came here, I can see there’s so much focus on detail, the costume detail, the hairstyles, the choreography, and also how beautiful the patterns are on stage.”

Shen Yun was bringing the “beauty of Chinese culture to the audiences,” Ms. Kalaria said, not just through a story, but through pure movement. The art of dance has no boundary—no language restrictions, and all could understand what Shen Yun was trying to convey.

“You just need to see the expressions and the beautiful movement. So I think the language, the movement, and the story telling through the performance, I think that in itself is top class. And the rest of it is all the cherry on top of the cake,” Ms. Kalaria said at the Eventim Apollo the evening of April 20.

Shen Yun, based in New York, is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance company and has, in recent years, brought the art form to new heights.

Ms. Kalaria applauded the grace and strength of each movement of the dancers and said she could tell through their technique they are truly experts. They were able to take all their training and translate that into an effortless grace that was nothing but pleasant for the audience.

“It brings so much pleasure to the audience members just to see the gracefulness. It’s like they’re floating sometimes on the stage, and the way they have coordinated the visuals—special effects with the dance. That is just magnificent,” Ms. Kalaria said. “I think that what Shen Yun does, I think that is their speciality of how they bring the stage to life.”

“They were absolutely phenomenal,” she said. “11 out of 10.”

“If anybody’s out there considering to come to see the show, they should definitely watch it,” Ms. Kalaria said, adding that it was a magical way to experience Chinese culture and the story behind it.

Furthermore, she felt the spirit of Shen Yun was something that was good for the world.

As a spiritual practitioner and meditator of 20 years, Ms. Kalaria said spirituality was vital.

“The powerful message that they were trying to portray to the audience is about spirituality, about how humanity is so important,” she said.

“You can see the good and the bad that they’re trying to show, and how important it is for us to follow the divine path,” she said. “I think that is a message that everybody should take back with them.”

In this regard, she felt Shen Yun was more than just a show, it was an experience that “can affect you for the rest of your life” and the spiritual culture they brought to life could prompt one to think about life and spirituality and “how it can transform you as a human being.”

“I’m taking back with me that, in life, our humanity is the most important thing. Divinity is very important. And we should try to develop those virtues within ourselves,” Ms. Kalaria said. “And by watching shows like this. I think it helps us to refocus our vision about who we are as people as well. So I think it’s amazing.”

Reporting by 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.