Five Thousand Years of Culture Take the Stage in Europe - An Odyssean Spectacle
An artist, charcoal pencil in hand, is standing before the famous terracotta army, engrossed in his work. Suddenly, a strong gust blows by. After the dust settles, time appears to have frozen. The artist finds himself clad in a suit of armor amidst a legion of warriors. He has traversed 2,000 years in time to the Qin Dynasty. The air is thick with the dust of battle and sounds of bugles and drums resonating from all directions…
This is a scene from “Recalling the Great Qin,” one of the dances Shen Yun’s Touring Company brings to European audiences this year. It is led by principal dancer Chen Yungchia and two-time International Classical Chinese Dance Competition gold medalist Golden Li. Chen plays the role of the artist, and Li plays the warrior he transforms into. The dancers bring the Great Qin army’s mighty prestige onto the stage, and their performance has received enthusiastic acclaim from the audience.
On February 26, 2011, Shen Yun’s Touring Company returned to Germany’s financial capital of Frankfurt. The company launched its European tour at the Jahrhunderthalle, the renowned culture center on the Main River. This is Shen Yun’s fifth year touring in Europe, where for many people the show has become a much-anticipated annual event.
From February 26 to March 12, the Touring Company performed in five cities: Frankfurt; Florence, the birthplace of the European Renaissance; Bregenz in northern Austria; Clermont-Ferrand in central France; and Brno, the second largest city in the Czech Republic. In continental Europe, where people hold the arts in great esteem, Shen Yun’s performances have received praise from audiences of all nationalities. People are using the most beautiful language to express the joy they experience from watching the show.
Duchess Elisabeth zu Salm-Salm of Germany said excitedly, “The whole show was an unforgettable event, a well-done time capsule about China. I can recommend this show to any and all and would like to see it again.”
“The harmony between the dances and the music was unique. I really enjoyed it. The show is so melodic,” said the Duchess, who is from Anholt in the Ruhr region of Germany. Her husband is Prince Carl Philipp of Salm.
Mr. Nuroy Inöntepe, Consul General of Turkey in Bregenz, brought several embassy officials to the performance. He said, “The Shen Yun show was too perfect! It was so pure and filled with joy. You can actually see the plum blossom trees and the beautiful lakes in the dances. It’s quite moving. I would like to extend my congratulations to the show’s director. Everyone should come to performances like this,” he continued. “This is what we really need: a pure and heartwarming show that brings joy.”
Thomas Weyrauch is a German China expert, Doctor of Law, and author of Anguished Dragon: China’s Human Rights in the Late Stage of CCP-Rule and China’s Unnoticed Republic. After the show, Dr. Weyrauch said, “I felt an immense energy. These dancers aren’t simply dancing. They are manifesting their true selves. You must watch a performance like this live! Video or television absolutely cannot substitute. I’m very thankful that I listened to a friend’s advice to come see the show… I was applauding nonstop, until my hands became red.”
Mr. Qiu is a Taiwanese representative to the Czech Republic. He brings his coworkers to see Shen Yun every year; this is his fourth year. Mr. Qiu finds the performance “flawless and very exciting.” He says it does the job of promoting China’s exquisite culture, arts, music, and dance around the world. He said it is an elegant presentation in that it uses warmth and love rather than hate to confront the ugliness and suffering in the world.
On February 28, Frankfurter Neue Presse, one of the three largest newspapers in Germany, published a report on Shen Yun. The article says that Shen Yun’s classical dance takes the audience on a trip traversing time and space to experience five thousand years of culture. The article described the show as an Odyssean performance. “You cannot find a show of such authenticity in China anymore. The reason is simple: the Chinese regime has banned this performance. After the Cultural Revolution, traditional Chinese dance was also forced to submit to Communist Party ideologies.”
March 23, 2011