[The Epoch Times, January 31, 2022](The Epoch Times columnist Stu Cvrk wrote / Qu Zhizhuo compiled) On January 26, my wife and I were at the Washington Pavilion in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. ) watched the Shen Yun performance. (This is only one stop on their global tour) The two hours of flowing music and dance, the graceful charm and the excellent overall artistry of the actors, amazed us from beginning to end.
Before this, we had little idea of what kind of show we would enjoy, but the performance fascinated us: the choreography, the musical accompaniment, the colorful traditional Chinese costumes, the visual effects, and the graceful movements and amazing performance of the dancers themselves. The tossing skills of the dance dramas are seamlessly intertwined to interpret the story of the dance drama.
We can assure you that Shen Yun—meaning “the beauty of the dancing gods”—the name couldn’t be more perfect for this group!
All in all, this is the description of Shen Yun Performing Arts and its purpose on Shen Yun’s official website: “Shen Yun Performing Arts is the world‘s top Chinese classical dance and traditional music troupe. Founded in New York in 2006, Shen Yun Performing Arts has established itself in Dance, dance drama, symphony accompaniment, instrumental solo and bel canto solo, revive and promote China’s five thousand years of orthodox divine culture.”
dancer
There were about fifty young dancers, half male and half male. All the actors are handsome, light, graceful, and physically capable! All have mastered superb body techniques, rhythms and techniques through long-term practice.
The performances of more than 20 programs are danced throughout. The movements of the actors are precise, uniform and perfect, which is breathtaking, especially the tossing skills such as jumping, turning over, spinning, and somersaults.
There is a dance in which the actresses work together on stage to form a set movement: stand on one leg, raise the other leg, point the foot to the sky, and form a straight line between the feet. (The torso is also upright!) All the movements are done beautifully step by step, with no wobble or mistakes. That dance combines graceful rhythm with sophistication, and it’s astounding!
In line with the plot of each dance, the dancers are also very good at conveying their inner emotions, and the expressive body movements make it easy for the audience to understand the story that is happening.
clothing
Each dance features one-of-a-kind, colorful costumes. There are costumes from specific dynasties, regions and peoples; these include robes with large sleeves, and in some shows the graceful movements of the dancers are highlighted. Its perfect colors, patterns, and headgear seem to be specially designed for each dance.
For example, the costumes of “Blooming Spring Plum” feature pastel color designs, enhanced by the flower-like feather fans in the hands of the actors; at certain points, dancers in groups of four to six “pop” “Open the fan to form a large flower. It’s really charming and goes well with the accompanying music.
music
The ensemble is accompanied by about 30 musicians. The instruments played are a perfect match, including violin, cello, bassoon, French horn, percussion, flute, clarinet, etc., as well as Chinese instruments (including gong, pipa, erhu, etc.). Shen Yun Orchestra is the first to combine Chinese and Western instruments to produce unique music.
I was a young accompanist in an orchestra for musicals, so I was particularly impressed with the Shen Yun Orchestra because of their flawless performances that ran through the dance program flawlessly – the rhythm, volume and orchestration seamlessly ebb and flow as each dance unfolded. Change, to express the emotions of the dancers. The melody of the accompaniment music is original by Shen Yun and perfectly blends with the movements of the dancers on the stage.
Visual effects
This is perhaps the most amazing part of Shen Yun’s performance. Behind the stage is a large sky curtain, with each dance, projecting various pictures: cities in ancient and modern China, flowing rivers, mountains and rivers, and “the holy land of heaven”.
Depending on the dance scene, the dynamic characters on the sky will walk, fly and jump, and you can see the smoke lingering, the water flowing, and so on. The visual transition (transition) is also very clever: a stone falls into the water from the center of the sky, and when the ripples dissipate, a new scene is revealed.
A few feet in front of the sky, one side3feet tallstepsacross the stage. At various points in the middle of the dance program, one or two lead dancers would jump up the steps and then leap down toward the sky, “transforming” into the dynamic figures in the projection. This visual effect was repeated throughout the show, including the reverse effect! A dynamic character will land at the bottom of the sky and turn back into a live dancer. A similarly dressed actor jumps up the steps and down to the stage to complete a specific dance sequence/storyline. The transition between the dynamic canopy and the live actors is always seamless and stunning!
choreographer
choreographer（Choreography）Defined as “the art of representing dance symbolically” by designing a dancer’s movements, including specified movements – specific body movements or formations (or both), to achieve the desired effect.
A total of 17 dances were presented throughout the program. Each show is carefully choreographed to tell a unique Chinese story. The colorful costumes with wide robes and large sleeves flutter in all directions during the actors’ “spin and turn”, making the elegant and elegant dance moves more prominent.
The accompaniment music played by the orchestra fits perfectly with each dance, and the musical transitions and climaxes are masterfully synchronized with the dancers’ movements.The dance drama is rich in themes, including Chinese historical legends, such as the famous Monkey King’s “Havoc in the Heavenly Palace”, and contemporary stories, such as “Crazy Doomsday”, in which the CCP kills a Falun Dafa practitioner.16Killing him on his birthday is nothing more than persecution.
master of ceremonies
Before each dance, a pair of emcees introduced: a Chinese woman and a white man. Both speak Mandarin, but the male emcee mainly uses English to translate the female emcee’s melodious Mandarin introduction. Listening to her announcement in Chinese, we were fascinated: the voice was so elegant and composed! They work so well together and set the tone for each dance just right.
solo and solo
The show has two solo/solo programs.
The first program is from Chinese tenor Gu Yun (with piano accompaniment). He sang the song “Fail Ye Not” in Mandarin. The English translation of the lyrics was typed on the sky behind him. Not only does he have a great voice, but the meaning of the song is also quite profound.Here’s a line from the song: “Atheism and evolution are killing people／Keep the kindness and traditions and don’t sell yourself”
Another program is a solo performance by a female erhu player (Qin Lu), also accompanied by piano.
What a mellow and mellow music! It’s amazing to hear such great music from a two-stringed instrument.
Other Information
In addition to the above, the emcees also conveyed the following information:
Shen Yun Performing Arts is headquartered in New York, where the selection and training of dancers and musicians are concentrated.
- The art troupe is committed to “revive the lost civilization”. The Chinese people have been advocating “the unity of heaven, earth and man” since ancient times, but the atheistic Communist Party1949After he came to power in 2008, he destroyed all the spiritual traditions of the Chinese people.
- Chinese classical dance is in the past5,000matured in the middle of the year.
- Chinese classical dance is a kind of “body language”, which integrates body technique and “body rhythm” to portray different characters and different emotions.
- The Shen Yun Performing Arts has seven ensembles (dancers and orchestra) that tour around the world.
- Shen Yun was banned from performing in communist China.
- Dance programs, costumes and choreography vary from year to year.
in conclusion
What a wonderful performance! This is an unforgettable moment that will not be forgotten anytime soon. We were fortunate enough to sit in the second row and were able to “get up close” from start to finish (up close and personal) dancers, observe their facial expressions and express emotions.
If Shen Yun comes to cities around you, don’t miss the show!
About the Author:
Retiring after 30 years in the U.S. Navy, Stu Cvrk has served in a variety of active and reserve roles with extensive operational experience in the Middle East and Western Pacific. Through his education and experience as an oceanographer and systems analyst, Stu graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy, where he received a classical liberal education, a key foundation for his political critique.
The original “A Jaw-Dropping Shen Yun Performance” was published in The Epoch Times
This article represents the views of the author alone and does not necessarily reflect the position of The Epoch Times.
Responsible editor: Gao Jing