SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

‘Very Courageous’: French Audience Members Applaud Shen Yun’s Revival of China Before Communism

Feb 07, 2025

DIJON, France—On Tuesday, Feb. 4, Shen Yun Performing Arts gave two sold-out performances at the Zénith in the Burgundy capital. Two Chevaliers de la Légion d'Honneur attended the afternoon performance.

Pierre-Henri Daure is the former director of the Dijon Federation of Home Care Services. In 2013, he was also awarded the insignia of the Légion d'Honneur for his tremendous commitment to the elderly. He was “very happy to attend this show”.

“We’re approaching perfection,” said Mr. Daure, who experienced all kinds of emotions during the performance, “through the music, but also through the dance, because you express things with your body and with the coordination between the dancers.”

New York-based Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance company, with a mission to revive 5,000 years of Chinese civilization and show the world China before communism.

Mr. Daure was particularly moved by all the work he felt behind the show and the coordinated work between the artists, whether dancers or singers, and praised the level of the artists.

Mr. Daure used to perform with folk groups from Brittany and Burgundy and said he appreciated the fact that Shen Yun could share the music and dance of their country, “to pass it on, to show a little of the richness that can be found in different cultures.”

As the emcees explain during the performance, Shen Yun cannot perform in China because the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) does not allow it to do so. Mr. Daure hopes that “at some point, they'll be able to return home and the political power will change.”

“Everything changes, everything evolves. There may be dictatorships, there may be difficult times, there may be wars, but at some point, it passes, and we can find a little peace and serenity again. That’s our wish for them,” he said.

Robert Vernet enjoyed the Shen Yun Performing Arts performance in Dijon, France, on the afternoon of Feb. 4, 2025. (NTD) — Robert Vernet enjoyed the Shen Yun Performing Arts performance in Dijon, France, on the afternoon of Feb. 4, 2025. NTD

Robert Vernet, who received the insignia Légion d‘Honneur for his work with children, is a former executive at the French Post Office. He founded the Enfants de l’Espoir association in 1982, which he chaired for 30 years. The children’s choir he directed numbers around 60 members, performing at various events with a humanitarian vocation.

Mr. Vernet was delighted to discover the China Shen Yun presents is not the one under the Chinese communist regime’s thumb.

“It’s a magnificent show with no fear of saying that it’s in opposition to today’s government,” Mr. Vernet said. “I think it’s both very strong and very courageous because I wonder whether there might not be attempts at intimidation behind it.”

Indeed, the performing arts company is facing the world’s biggest dictatorship, with the CCP making constant efforts to sabotage the company since it was founded in 2006, according to the Shen Yun Performing Arts website. More than 130 cases of interference have been reported worldwide, from false bomb threats to damaged tour bus tires.

Mr. Vernet found Shen Yun to be “perfect,” “ polished,” “ uniquely Asian”, and “magnificent in color, flexibility, boys and girls alike.” He was especially moved by the color of the costumes and the fluidity of the fabrics.

“I’m in awe of the artists,” he said. The music touched him as well, and he found it very beautiful, noting that it blended the traditions of the East and West.

“Go and see it, it’s worth it!” Mr. Vernet said.

Claude Fely enjoyed the Shen Yun Performing Arts performance in Dijon, France, on the afternoon of Feb. 4, 2025. (NTD) — Claude Fely enjoyed the Shen Yun Performing Arts performance in Dijon, France, on the afternoon of Feb. 4, 2025. NTD

Among the other people at the Zénith in Dijon this afternoon was Claude Fely, a former company director from Paris. it was his wife’s idea to attend Shen Yun, he said, and he was glad about it.

“It’s a marvel,” Mr. Fely said.

“It’s really very colorful and very rhythmic, it’s joyful, it’s fresh, it’s very pleasant,” Mr. Fely said. “There’s an aspect where you have a decor, you have a rhythm, and in addition, there are, each time, the scenes that have a theme. It’s appealing, and makes you long for what’s to come.”

Mr. Fely said during intermission that he had gone through the detailed program book and appreciated that bilingual emcees further introduced each vignette prior to the performance. He said he discovered ancient China through Shen Yun, and expressed support for the artists’ mission.

“We need these roots. Even if they’re outside our own, they come together. We’re all on one planet,” he said.

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