Shen Yun

Founded in New York in 2006, Shen Yun is a performance extravaganza featuring classical Chinese as well as ethnic and folk dance, with a full orchestra which blends Chinese and Western traditions.

Shen Yun ("Divine Performing Arts") deploys five touring troupes that grace stages around the world at any one time. Although banned in China due to its association with Falun Gong, Shen Yun’s 2017 “Experience a Divine Culture” tour (all Australian capital cities, Mar-Apr 2017) delivered on its promise of celebrating 5000 years of Chinese culture through dance and music.

The marvellously coutured ensemble of classically trained dancers wielding fans, flowing sleeves and drums flowed across the Concert Hall stage with a synchronised balletic precision effortlessly pleasing to the eye. Movements have been choreographed to being deliberately circular rather than a disjointed linear narrative, supposedly to embody Falun Gong’s creed of truthfulness, compassion and tolerance. Vigorous drumming and a plaintive erhu (two string violin) solo provided auditory and meditative delights to respectively complement a high energy rendition  of a Buddhist monk’s Journey to the West.

The stage performer Monkey's (a comical character in this 16th century novel of Buddhist discovery) flight into the sky merged seamlessly into his animated form on a vast soft-focus video landscape that would have delighted children in the audience.

The evening could have done without the rendition of Falun Gong demonstrators being bludgeoned by Communist Party goons sheathed in evil black. “Buddha’s Compassion Shines Forth” then predictably and heroically saves the day for the oppressed and persecuted. Such political undertones detracted from the aesthetic masterpiece that shone so brightly for most of the evening.   

Joseph Ting