Award Winning Chinese Ballet Dancer: "Shen Yun reflects the charm and spirit of traditional Chinese culture"

The success of the Shen Yun Performing Arts global tour has attracted celebrities from all races and all walks of life. A number of famous artists are full of praise for Shen Yun, saying that watching the shows has broadened their perspectives.

Internationally acclaimed Chinese ballet dancer Mr. Chi Cao said that last year he was fortunate enough to be invited to watch New York-based Shen Yun for the first time. It was an enjoyable and meaningful experience. He said that the show was excellent, the content rich, the stage effects were amazing, unique and it was a large scale, one of a kind, artistic event.

He also said that the performances have artistic and spiritual charm. Shen Yun strikes a chord with audiences and demonstrates the highest realm in art. He recommends that more should come and watch the show themselves and experience the energy emitted.

No Other Shows Can Compare

Chi Cao said, "The content (of Shen Yun) is very rich. It is very encompassing, large scale and in a class of its own. It is an artistic feast, not seen in other shows, and unlike the content of ordinary shows that are all the same."

He said, "Shen Yun reflects the charm and spirit of traditional Chinese culture. It has profound connotations. Every year the arts group tour so many countries and regions, it is a production of such a large scale attracting so many, and has won the hearts of so many people. It goes to show how successful the performances are."

"What is most unusual is that every year the shows have a new programme. It shows (the company) has strong creativity. It is a great achievement, a great thing that Shen Yun formed and developed overseas, and is able to promote traditional Chinese culture on the global stage."

Beautiful and Graceful

As a dancer Chi Cao appreciates the performers' technical skills. He said, "The skills of the performers in Shen Yun shows are extremely advanced, displaying many highly difficult technical moves. The dances are beautiful, the whole stage effect is excellent, unique. Audiences keep applauding during the show."

He added: "The coordination among the dancers is excellent, hence the dances presented are very harmonious and graceful. This aspect is especially rare and precious."

Touching People's hearts, Demonstrating the Highest Realm in Art

Chi Cao said that Shen Yun shows are extremely moving, having artistic and spiritual charm and are able to strike a chord with audiences. This is the highest realm in art. He said that technique is a necessary foundation but what's most important is the inner charisma of art. The inner empathy and joy shown by audience is the best illustration of this intrinsic quality.

"Classical arts have profound connotations, hence the more we know about it, the more we feel that what we know is not enough. There is a saying in the world of dance: You see a performer on stage, although he does not display any techniques, however the audience cannot take their eyes off him, from the time the performer came onto the stage, he has deeply captivated the audience, every movement, every dance, even if it is just a simple movement captivates the audience. This kind of inner charisma, the power of the arts is the highest realm a performer can ever hope to achieve. This is not only determined by dance techniques, more importantly, it is driven by the performer's inner cultivation, level of knowledge, character, virtue, personal experience and so on. To a performer, these are the sources and motivation for creation and expression."

Chi Cao said: "To any performer, it is a great challenge to improve on one's dance techniques and quality. However it is an even greater challenge to be able to create joy and empathy with the audience, to touch people." He said that the performers in Shen Yun have really touched audiences.

Touched by the Inspiring Performances

Chi Cao said that Shen Yun has given the performing arts circle much inspiration. Shen Yun's artists bring great depth and profound meaning to the performances..

He said, "We regard dance as a means of livelihood, hence we don't have the same passion as Shen Yun performers. Their passion for the arts and for bringing the beauty of art to audiences are really touching. We lack this because we treat dance as a job."

Recommends That Others See Shen Yun

Chi Cao recommends that people should go watch Shen Yun themselves and personally experience the energy emitted. He said, "Seeing it live, you are able to experience the strong artistic impact, the infectiousness displayed by the shows. That kind of internal charm as well as the energy transmitted by the performance can only be experienced from watching the show live."

Chi Cao is currently the lead dance artist in the UK's Birmingham Royal Ballet. He was awarded the gold medal at the Varna International Ballet Competition (touted as the Olympics of ballet) and is known as China's ballet prince.