Denmark Audience Welcomes the Return of Shen Yun Performing Arts to Aarhus

Shen Yun Performing Arts delighted the Danish audience in Aarhus, on their premiere 2010 show in Scandinavia, on Friday evening, April 2, 2010, at The Concert Hall Aarhus (Musikhuset Aarhus). The audience enthusiastically welcomed the return of the highly acclaimed New York-based company with a standing ovation at the end of the performance.

"This evening was like a dream," exclaimed Mr. Sukhdev Singh Kailya, an architect who attended the show for the first time with his wife, Ms. Gunnor Næsvold, a fashion designer.

Originally from India, Mr. Kailya has lived in Aarhus, Denmark, for the past 40 years. He and his Norwegian-born wife, Ms. Gunnor Næsvold, came to the show after he saw a Shen Yun poster.

"I saw the poster in Aarhus for the first time. I think it was really amazing, as it was standing out. So I got immediately interested and went home and told my wife that we should go and see it," said Mr. Kailya, "It was beautiful, and the movement–it was just like the feeling of flying–that is why we came here."

Audience at The Concert Hall Aarhus (Musikhuset Aarhus) honours the artists with a standing ovation at end of the performance

Shen Yun Performing Arts is based in New York, and is the only performance company today that brings authentic classical Chinese dance to the stage in its pure form. The aerial techniques and noble deportment of the dancers have amazed audiences the world over. Shen Yun includes in its repertoire story-based dances depicting legends from ancient China all the way through modern times, as well as folk dances from many regions throughout China.

With the eye of a fashion designer, Ms. Næsvold was delighted by the classical Chinese dancing in the Shen Yun show, remarking about the "beautiful music, beautiful people, and beautiful dresses!" "The dancing was amazing. I am going home to start training the way they are walking. It was fantastic to see," she said with a beaming smile on her face as she spoke.

Mr. Kailya greatly appreciated seeing dances from the various regions of China. "This was very surprising, to experience all these different parts of China. Very nice how they introduce the culture of the East. It is the old knowledge, which they are trying to tell the world." He felt that the many dances in Shen Yun worked to share a feeling as a whole. Additionally, he indicated that Shen Yun was quite a visual treat. "We were fascinated by the backdrop pictures," he said, and he enjoyed "all the mountains from the northern parts." Mr. Kailya recalled the Himalayas in the backdrop for the "Tibetan Dance of Praise." He said that the content in Shen Yun was not only striking to watch, but had profound meaning. "I think the message is very nice," he said.

Mr. Kailya was touched by the last performance in the show, "The Buddha´s Teachings Spread Far and Wide." This grand finale depicts an imperial palace celebration during a scene from the classic Chinese novel, Journey to the West. In the scene, the monk Tripitaka returns from a pilgrimage in search of Buddhist scriptures to present the treasured knowledge to Emperor Tang Taizong, who leads the entire land in rejoicing.

"Yes, it makes me so happy that the show ended with the teachings of Buddha," said Mr. Kailya. "And Buddha Sakyamuni comes from India. He was born in India. The Buddha's teachings [were] spread to China and Japan and other parts of the world. I think this is the only hope to have peace in the world, the Buddha's teaching," he said.

Mr. Kailya and Ms. Næsvold wanted to invite all their neighbours to see the Shen Yun Performing Arts International Touring Company.

He said that unfortunately the holiday weekend resulted in their friends travelling out of town, "...otherwise we would have brought all our neighbours, maybe twenty of them," Mr. Kailya said.

Mr. Kailya said that he will recommend the show to his friends and neighbours, "We will really tell them that if they [Shen Yun] come back to Aarhus they have to come-so we will take the neighbours with us."

The couple were in agreement, "It was very good, the evening was like a dream."

Pastor Touched by the Persecution

Pastor Christian Kruger was among the audience and was moved by the dance that tells the plight of the Falun Gong practitioners in China. "I like the part about the persecution because the persecuted man doesn't hit back. Instead, goodness prevails finally," he said.

Pastor Christian Kruger, with colleague Karin Rank Gottlieb

A colleague, Karin Rank Gottlieb said, "It is very beautiful. I am a Christian, but I support all the people in the world, who are persecuted because of their faith. The persecution in China is really harsh."

Karin and her granddaughter also saw Shen Yun last year, and they became Shen Yun fans immediately. This year she came to the show with her grandson.

In the audience were many people who had seen the Shen Yun performance last year, when the company came to Denmark for the first time. Wang, who is from China, saw the show in 2009, with his daughter.

"I've been waiting all year long for the show. Shen Yun is so beautiful that I cannot describe it. The main impression from this year's show is that the Gods and Buddhas are with us," he said.

Others who travelled a long way to see Shen Yun again include Ove Dahl Jorgensen and Charlotte Søndergaard, who received their tickets as a Christmas gift. They travelled 93 miles to attend tonight's performance. Ove expressed his appreciation for the show.

"The orchestra is really good. It doesn't put itself in focus, but is backing up the dancers and singers in a very good way," he added.

Source:
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/32635/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/32633/