SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Taiwan Television Director Praises Shen Yun

Apr 03, 2023

TAIPEI, Taiwan—A recorded performance is the product of take after take so that a director can choose which is best. But for Shen Yun Performing Arts, the saying “the show must go on,” rings true. Once a live performance starts, there is no going back.

“I’ve seen many stage performances, and generally speaking, it’s not easy to accomplish such a level of completeness and to do it so well! Shen Yun is much more impressive than movies or television because there is no room for retakes. A movie can redo a scene 100 times, but once the performance starts, there is no going back,” praised Tzu-gui Lin, a producer and writer-director at a famous TV station in Taiwan.

Mr. Lin said that this was his first time seeing Shen Yun, and he had never seen such perfection in his life. “I can only use the word ‘admiration’ to describe how I feel about Shen Yun,” he said.

Shen Yun is based in New York and it is dedicated to reviving 5,000 years of Chinese civilization.

“In a stage performance, it’s not easy to have each component work together. With Shen Yun’s digital backdrop, from the first piece when the Buddha descended from the heavens, it was very impressive! This level of art takes a lot of effort,” said Mr. Lin.

Shen Yun’s artists are trained in classical Chinese dance. This dance form has thousands of years of history and is one of the most comprehensive dance systems in the world.

“In terms of dance, there is no room for criticism, as the saying goes, ‘One minute on stage is ten years of work off stage.’ The choreographers are amazing. They must incorporate the backdrop and the special effects,” he said.

Shen Yun’s orchestra is a blend of traditional Chinese instruments with a classic Western orchestra.

“Shen Yun’s music is very well arranged. It was able to recreate the groove of music. The orchestra’s performance was penetrating and the hearts of the audiences moved along with the beat,” he said.

“I closely followed the rhythms of the orchestra and how it matched with the dances, how it handled the transitions, and how it followed the backdrop. It captured the attention of the audience,” added Mr. Lin.

Shen Yun’s Artistic Director D.F. oversees the creation of Shen Yun’s all-new production each year. Each element seen in Shen Yun must pass his discerning eye.

“Although the artistic director didn’t appear in the performance, his work can be seen throughout the performance,” said Mr. Lin.

“Shen Yun is a feast for the eyes. Whether it’s your first time seeing it or you’ve seen it many times, you can see what Shen Yun is expressing and of course this is from all the effort of the artistic director.

One of Shen Yun’s dances tells the story of Falun Gong practitioners being persecuted for their faith in China. Mr. Lin shared his belief that one day the Chinese communist party will be punished for its crimes against humanity.

“For 5,000 years, everyone in China has had religious beliefs, and in the case of Falun Gong, it has a long history. The core philosophy of Falun Gong is “Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance.” It is not that there is no retribution, but that the time has not yet come,” said Mr. Lin.

Reporting by Muyu Shi 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.