SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

South Korean University Chairman Appreciates Meaning of Life at Shen Yun Performance

Feb 15, 2020

CHANGWON, South Korea—For Lee Haw-koo, an institute chairman at the Mason University, the experience of seeing Shen Yun was coming to appreciate what life was all about.

“In the current society, the spiritual culture is collapsing. What Shen Yun is saying is a concept about searching for the meaning of life,” Lee said, after seeing Shen Yun at the 3.15 Arts Center in Changwon, South Korea, on the evening on Feb. 14, 2020.

Lee explained that he had long heard about Shen Yun when he was in the United States, in both Silicon Valley in California and in New York. But he missed out on seeing the performance in the States.

Shen Yun Performing Arts, which is based in New York, has grown from three companies to seven companies after being founded in 2006. Now, Shen Yun’s New York Company is in South Korea, after having finished 34 performances in nine cities in Japan.

Lee took special notice about the dancers he saw. First, he said he could appreciate the responsibility that these dancers shoulder—about how they were carrying on a mission to revive the ancient Chinese culture that is now lost in modern-day China.

For instance, he explained how dancers had done an excellent job of telling the story of Li Bai—a well-known poet who lived in ancient China’s Tang Dynasty—through their dance movements.

Mentally and spiritually, these dancers were also very different, said Lee.

“I think because these artists practice Falun Gong, they have improved themselves spiritually. As a result, they know how they shoulder greater responsibilities with their dances,” Lee said.

Lee added that he knew about how there was ongoing persecution in China against people who practice Falun Gong.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a practice that combines ancient teachings based on three core principles—truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance—and meditation exercises, according to Shen Yun’s website.

What’s more, Lee was amazed at the dancers he saw, particularly how flexible they were and how they were able to use their arms and legs to perform many difficult techniques.

Lee also applauded how the dancers were able to perform in such unison.

Shen Yun will perform a total of four performances in Changwon ending on Feb. 16, before traveling to two other Korean cities of Hanam and Chuncheon.

Beginning on Feb. 27, Shen Yun will begin its tour of Oceania, with performances in Auckland, New Zealand; and Sydney, Canberra, and Melbourne in Australia.

With reporting by Lee Yun-jeong and Frank Fang.

The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time and has covered audience reactions since the company’s inception in 2006.