Theater Fight Choreographers Applaud the Harmony of Shen Yun
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David Leong and Paul Dennhardt at the Shen Yun Performing Arts performance at The David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center, New York City, on March 13, 2022. Sherry Li/The Epoch Times
NEW YORK—New York City is America’s capital for the arts. From great orchestras to ballet, the city has the nation’s finest artists congregated. Paul Dennhardt and David Leong are fight directors who choreograph fighting scenes in productions ranging from Shakespeare to contemporary.
“It was just so expressive and so evocative and just the extension of the movement that went beyond the dancers’ body out into the universe. That was beautiful. And I thought the comedic elements were fun, I enjoyed that,” said Dennhardt, at a Shen Yun matinee performance at The David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center.
Shen Yun Performing Arts' curtain call at The David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center, New York on March 13, 2022. Larry Dye/The Epoch Times
Although New York-based Shen Yun’s mission is about reviving 5,000 years of Chinese culture, audiences often feel that Shen Yun is much more than a cultural performance.
Dennhardt described it as “the beauty and expressiveness of the whole human spirit.”
“There’s a common humanity I think that we all share and a connection to the Divine. It then communicates to me a message of harmony that I wish [was] in our world today,” he elaborated. “If we could all use the arts to celebrate our common humanity and the beauty of life, maybe we'd have a lot less discord in this world.”
He also understood that despite Shen Yun’s efforts to share the beauty of Chinese culture with the world, the company is unable to perform in China.
“I just think it’s amazing that you’re keeping traditional Chinese arts alive. In an era where politically it’s not allowed back in China and bringing that to the rest of the world. I thank you for that.”
Shen Yun’s digital backdrop is a patented technology that allows the stage to be extended endlessly. The dancers give off the impression that they can travel to different worlds or fly high into the sky.
“I love the projections, I really was astonished the first time someone leaped down and then shot up into the projection on screen. I thought that was very effective,” commented Dennhardt.
The music of Shen Yun is played by a live orchestra. The ensemble is highlighted by traditional Chinese instruments like the pipa, erhu, and Chinese percussion. The erhu is also featured on stage and Leong shared his appreciation for the soloist.
“I don’t know the [name of the] instrument [with] two stringed instruments. That was amazing,” said Leong.
“I love the woman who played the traditional Chinese instrument. I thought that was so expressive for an instrument with two strings. It just was captivating for me,” added Dennhardt.
Shen Yun uses dance and music to tell stories of both ancient and modern China.
“The storytelling, the variety of the stories of the traditional Chinese and then bringing the modern, contemporary society into it. I like that a lot too,” said Leong.
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