SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

The CCP Twice Tried to Cancel Shen Yun in Toruń but Audiences Filled the Theater and Loved Shen Yun

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TORUŃ, Poland—Despite the opposition from the Chinese consulate in Poland, Shen Yun Performing Arts successfully performed before Toruń’s audiences on March 11 and 12.

Mr. Grzegorz Grabowski, the president of the Cultural and Congress Centre Jordanki Center (CKK Jordanki), saw Shen Yun, and he was taken on a journey through China’s 5,000 years of history. He revealed to The Epoch Times that the Chinese consul had personally visited him twice in attempts to cancel Shen Yun’s performance in Poland.

Mr. Grabowski shared that two women from the Chinese Consulate came to see him in January. In February, the Chinese consul personally came to meet Mr. Grabowski and asked CKK Jordanki to cancel its contract with Shen Yun.
Mr. Grabowski said that the theater had already signed a contract with Shen Yun, and the tickets had been sold out.

“I can’t prohibit or terminate the contract because I would then pay big fines. ... The hall has been rented, so the event will take place. No amount of pressure can stop us [from fulfilling the contract],” he said.

On the evening of March 12, Shen Yun performed at the CKK Jordanki Concert Hall in Toruń, Poland. It was the second city in Poland that it had performed this year. The venue was full, and the artists received thunderous applause.
Włodzimierz Tesz and his wife Jolanta Tesz at the Shen Yun Performing Arts performance at CKK Jordanki Concert Hall in Torun, Poland, on March 12, 2024. (Mary Mann/The Epoch Times)
Włodzimierz Tesz and his wife Jolanta Tesz at the Shen Yun Performing Arts performance at CKK Jordanki Concert Hall in Torun, Poland, on March 12, 2024. Mary Mann/The Epoch Times

On March 12, Włodzimierz Tesz, the spokesman for the Communications Department of the Grudziądz Municipality in Poland, came to see Shen Yun with his wife Jolanta Tesz, head of the Department for the Implementation of International Agreements of the Toruń Regional Social Insurance Institution.

“Excellent! We are very impressed,” Mrs. Tesz said. Her husband, Włodzimierz, also expressed heartfelt praise: “This is truly an extraordinary performance,” he said.

Shen Yun’s artists are trained in classical Chinese dance, one of the most technically demanding dance forms in the world.

“All the artists performed with amazing precision and grace. It’s amazing. The colors are gorgeous,” said Mrs. Tesz.

Shen Yun’s mission is to revive 5,000 years of Chinese culture. Mr. Tesz shared that it was his first close encounter with the true China.

“This is the first time we have come into contact with Chinese culture, [and it is] such a close encounter,” he said.

Today’s China, however, is not a picture of peace that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) paints. Shen Yun is using its art to raise awareness of the crimes being committed by the CCP.

“Undoubtedly, the scene that showed the current situation in China … was certainly the one that touched [me] the most,” said Mrs. Tesz.

She also expressed her newfound interest in Chinese culture. Shen Yun puts on an all-new production each year, and with five millennia of history to draw from, each season is filled with new and fresh stories.

“There is no doubt that this is very new for us, but it’s also very interesting. Chinese culture is amazing, mysterious, and exciting. People who can explore Chinese culture are undoubtedly lucky,” she said.

The couple also thanked Shen Yun’s artists for giving them a wonderful experience.

“My highest respect, congratulations, and a big thank you to the artists,” said Mrs. Tesz.

“Thank you for this wonderful performance,” Mr. Tesz added.

Dariusz Paczkowski and his wife at the Shen Yun Performing Arts performance at CKK Jordanki Concert Hall in Torun, Poland, on March 12, 2024. (Mary Mann/The Epoch Times)
Dariusz Paczkowski and his wife at the Shen Yun Performing Arts performance at CKK Jordanki Concert Hall in Torun, Poland, on March 12, 2024. Mary Mann/The Epoch Times
Dariusz Paczkowski and his wife traveled from Warsaw to see Shen Yun in Toruń. After the performance, he expressed that Shen Yun’s dance and music were highly impressive.
“It was my first time to enjoy such beautiful Chinese music and dance, and I’m very impressed. I like Shen Yun’s music very much,” said Mr. Paczkowski.

Before retiring, Mr. Paczkowski served as a director and board member of a large multinational company that manufactured and sold medical devices and instrument systems. The company ranked No. 177 on the 2021 Fortune 500 list.

Mr. Paczkowski was intrigued by the erhu solo. The erhu is an instrument with only two strings, yet it is able to make music that is both technically demanding and soul-stirring.

“It’s great! The sound of the erhu is very special. I felt like I was in a beautiful garden,” he said.

In each of Shen Yun’s dance stories, human values and moral qualities such as faithfulness, loyalty, and respect for the divine are shown.

“I understood that what [Shen Yun] wants to convey to the world is to keep a kind and compassionate heart,” said Mr. Paczkowski.

He expressed that he will recommend Shen Yun to his friends and family and hopes that more people will come and experience true Chinese culture.

“I like Shen Yun very much. I hope [Shen Yun] can do more performances to pass its message through dance to as many people as possible,” he said.

Reporting by Mary Mann, Huang He, Mikołaj Jaroszewicz, and Maria Han.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
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