(Minghui.org) During the second week of April 2024, the New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts continued to share the depth and wisdom of Chinese culture with audiences in Denmark, France, Switzerland, Taiwan, Canada, and the United States.
Shen Yun Global Company at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center in New York City on April 13. The company presented 14 sold-out performances at Lincoln Center on April 3–14. (The Epoch Times)
Shen Yun North America Company at the Harris Theater in Chicago, Illinois, on April 14. The company presented three performances in Chicago on April 13 and 14, all to full houses. (The Epoch Times)
Shen Yun New Era Company at the Grand Theatre de Provence in Aix-En-Provence, France, on the evening of April 11, where the performers took three bows. The company returned to Aix-en-Provence for its second round of performances on April 10–14 and presented seven performances, all to full houses. (The Epoch Times)
Shen Yun Touring Company at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium in Edmonton, Canada, on April 12. The company presented four performances in Edmonton on April 12–14. (The Epoch Times)
Shen Yun World Company at the Théâtre de Beaulieu in Lausanne, Switzerland, on April 11. The company presented four performances in Lausanne April 11–14, all to full theaters. (The Epoch Times)
Arbie Orenstein, musicologist, author, pianist, and music professor, saw Shen Yun at Lincoln Center on April 14 (NTD Television).
Arbie Orenstein, musicologist, author, pianist, and music professor, saw Shen Yun in New York on April 14. He said he had seen Shen Yun before.
“It’s wonderful. Not only the music – the beautiful orchestra played wonderfully – and the dancing is superb, and the visual effects are just striking. I would urge everyone who has the slightest interest in this type of culture—This is a must,” Mr. Orenstein said.
“It’s a feeling when you walk out that you’ve really seen something very special,” he said.
Herbert Stupp, editor-in-chief and founder of Gipperten, at the Shen Yun performance at Lincoln Center on April 14 (The Epoch Times)
Herbert Stupp, editor-in-chief and founder of Gipperten, and former NYC commissioner member of former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani’s cabinet, saw Shen Yun in New York on April 14.
“This is a tremendous program with just brilliant actors and dancers, and I know we’re not supposed to call them acrobats, but they have acrobatic talents stemming from Chinese dance. And the message was just so positive and uplifting, like a direct rebuttal to the horrors under communist China today,” he said.
“They put on a tremendous performance of music, singing, and dance that also stressed the importance of the Supreme Being, which obviously the communist Chinese try to suppress wherever they can,” added Mr. Stupp.
Charlotte Broman Mølbæk, Member of the Danish Parliament, at the Shen Yun performance in Aarhus, Denmark, on April 8 (NTD Television)
Danish Parliament Member Charlotte Broman Mølbæk saw Shen Yun in Aarhus, Denmark, on April 8.
“Shen Yun is wonderful... This is truly great – to be able to have an in-depth experience of ancient Chinese tradition and culture. Everything is truly beautiful, delightful, and breathtaking,” Ms. Mølbæk said.
“Shen Yun undoubtedly can remind us that as humans, how beautiful it is to live on earth. We should treat each other kindly and remember those gorgeous colors. To me, Shen Yun’s colors and dancing make one feel warm and happy,” she said.
Daniel Sormanni, member of the National Council of Switzerland, at the Shen Yun performance in Lausanne, Switzerland, on April 14 (NTD Television)
Daniel Sormanni, member of the National Council of Switzerland, saw Shen Yun in Lausanne, Switzerland, on April 14. This was his second time seeing a Shen Yun performance.
“Shen Yun is sending an important message to the world... Respect and peace are inspirations that we should obtain from the performance, and then try our best to spread it in the entire world,” Mr. Sormanni said.
“People all hope to build connection with the divine. Whether we’re religious or not, we’re always willing to abide by divinity and treat it as a beacon. This transcends religion. We hope that this kind of divinity can let us obtain intelligence,” he said.
Jean-Louis and Florence Tholance, painters, at the Shen Yun performance in Aix-en-Provence on April 11 (NTD Television)
Jean-Louis and Florence Tholance, both painters, saw Shen Yun in Aix-en-Provence on April 11.
“We love Shen Yun, absolutely. They displayed the joy, enthusiasm, and passion of life, and also those colors and coordination. Youth and vigor bloomed in every corner,” Jean-Louis said.
“Shen Yun very excellently presented Chinese culture and allowed us to learn a lot. In this day and age, it is especially important to present Chinese culture to the world,” Florence said.
“The tenor clearly sang about all the truth. I completely agree with the messages he delivered,” said Jean-Louis.
Lia Holmes, a springboard and platform diving coach, at the Shen Yun performance in Hamilton, Canada, on April 12 (NTD Television)
Lia Holmes, a springboard and platform diving coach, saw Shen Yun in Hamilton, Canada, on April 12.
“It was such an amazing experience... Having everything brought together in one show, for me, has been delightful,” Ms. Holmes said.
“It’s very touching. It’s very deep... Having empathy for one another – that’s something that the show definitely [presented]. It was enthralling that way – to show the humanity here,” she said.
Member of Parliament Dan Muys extended congratulatory remarks for Shen Yun’s Canada tour. He also attended the performance in Ottawa on April 15 and personally presented the recognition. “It’s encouraging to see that this art form, again, with thousands of years of history, has not only been saved from disappearing, but has flourished actually,” he said after seeing the performance. (The Epoch Times)
Kenneth and Marlane Noster at the Shen Yun performance in Edmonton on April 14 (NTD Television)
Kenneth Noster, a school principal, and his wife Marlane Noster, a school co-founder and principal’s assistant, saw Shen Yun in Edmonton on April 14.
“It was beautiful, absolutely gorgeous. I love the fact that, number one, that the cast are all striving for personal virtue, so that actually exudes through their performance as well, because the performances are really all about virtue and goodness,” said Mr. Noster.
“To know that the performers themselves are striving for that personally, it shines through. They’re able to perform in a way that they couldn’t if it was just surface,” he said.
“They exude that goodness in their performance. You can feel it... They do it physically, and they do it with their joy and their performance,” Mrs. Noster said.
“The costumes are modest and pure. The movements are graceful and beautiful,” Mr. Noster added.
As an educator, Mr. Noster felt that Shen Yun was very important for children and youth. The performers’ personal discipline “could actually encourage young people to strive for goodness and discipline [and] self-control in themselves,” he said.
“Those very characteristics need to be lived from a spiritual point of view, and most education isn’t nearly spiritual enough.
“It doesn’t matter which religion a person is with... The particular faith that’s being proposed here is ancient Chinese, and it’s beautiful and it’s good. It’s got a basic goodness in it. Unfortunately, the school system, our society, has pulled away,” said Mr. Noster.
In his view, “our school system, in fact, encourages young people to look after themselves, and this performance did just the opposite... The virtues, the qualities of all of these dances, what they each taught was that you go beyond [considering] yourself.”
Mrs. Noster added that the performers presented more than just skill. “It was very enjoyable. Artistically, they were perfect. They were beautiful, but they had something beyond just artistic ability... It was authentic, and they had a beautiful spirit,” she said.
For more information about performance times, locations, and tickets, please visit www.shenyun.com.