Taiwan: Shen Yun Divine Performing Arts Show Appeals to People in the Arts

On February 25th, 2009, Shen Yun Divine Performing Arts (SYDPA) premiered at the Taipei International Convention Centre. The show moved many people who are involved in the field of art.

On February 25th, 2009, Shen Yun Divine Performing Arts (SYDPA) premiered in Taipei

Director of Art Association: SYDPA tours the world because it presents complete art.

Director Chien Hui-mei of the Shulin City Art Association, Taipei County said that the show had rich and unique content. She could see that each performer was very committed. She said, "The performance includes music, dance, and historical stories, such as The Poet's Vision. I think this is a complete arts presentation."

She was moved by a special aspect of the show. As she explained, "I saw the arrangement of the programmes. These are young performers. No matter whether it's culture or art, it needs to be passed down."

Ms. Chien said, "The backdrop and the stage coordinated very well. The scenes on stage appeared both real and imaginary. I looked at the overall design. Even the number of performers on stage was designed carefully. For example, there was gathering and dispersing in dancing. My design of pictures uses gathering and dispersing. SYDPA has such thinking in its choreography. The backdrops extend the stage performance, from real to imaginary. Art has both real and imaginary aspects. SYDPA combines the two."

She continued, "They expressed their sentiments beautifully. No wonder the company has several hundred shows."

Ms. Chien hopes that the show can continue. She encouraged SYDPA to "Present the beautiful art to all people because art is life and life is art. It enriches our life. I am much moved."

Fashion designer: The costumes are ethereal, like dancing fairies

Fashion designer Wang Chun-mei watched SYDPA show last year and this year. She said excitedly, "I felt moved without knowing the reason. This year, I was even more moved."

Ms. Wang learned fashion design when she was young. She has been in the profession for more than forty years. She said the costumes of the performers were ethereal, especially the costumes of the fairy performers. She exclaimed, "It was just like a group of fairies dancing. It was so beautiful."

Ms. Wang said excitedly, "It appeared so beautiful, like heaven. I was very moved. I thought, 'Is the Bodhisattva's space so beautiful? Is there any such beautiful place or realm?'"

Last year, she had tears from the beginning to the end of the show. She saw the Buddha, angels, and fairies distributing flowers in the whole theatre. This year, she had tears when she saw the dance, The Udumbara's Bloom. She said emotionally, "I was delighted seeing that scene. I had tears when the Bodhisattva appeared. It was a deeply personal feeling."

Ms. Wang thought the performers' costumes were beautiful. She said, "This year the costumes are different. They are more colourful and very beautiful. Those costumes in deep blue and gem blue are beautiful."

She said the backdrop design must have been made with many people's contribution. She added, "It was great. So beautiful - it was perfect."

Composer: I feel a return to the original place

Composer Yan Chi-wen focuses on folk songs and has a band. He said, "I feel it is great to present traditional culture with multimedia."

Mr. Yan used to do research at the Berkeley College of Music in Boston. He returned to Taiwan to work on music. As for the SYDPA backdrops being created using modern technologies, he was impressed. "The imaginary pictures and real performances coordinated well. This is really rare in Taiwan," he said.

He said that he learned much of Chinese traditional culture via the music and dance in the SYDPA show. "These are stories we know well, such as Mulan. We know the story from textbooks. Today's show presents it in an artistic performance."

Mr. Yan continued, "This show tells us that these cultures exist forever. They are based on human moral values. The values can never be outdated. Now everyone stresses science and technology. It is rare to see such a show [as SYDPA]. I feel this is special."

He said, "I was moved by Mulan Joins the Battle. Though I know the story well, I felt different after seeing tonight's performance." He said the different performances were rich, and included stories about loyalty, filial piety, and justice. There were also ethnic minority dances. "There was a dance about the poet Li Bai. I feel the show had a rich program. This is Chinese culture."

Mr. Yan felt that the deep connotations throughout the show inspired the audience and made one feel calm. He said emotionally, "Today, coming here, it seems that I returned to an original place. I have this special feeling."