Taiwan: Fine Arts Chairman says "Shen Yun is a Combination of Traditional and Modern Aesthetics"

As part of its five-show city tour, the Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company thrilled audiences both young and old at Hui-Sun Auditorium, National Chung Hsing University in Taichung City, Taiwan, on April 16th-17th, 2010.

Among the many distinguished guests in the audience was Professor Chuang Ming-Chung, Chairperson of the Department of Fine Arts, National Taichung University.

"I think the Shen Yun performance is a combination of traditional and modern aesthetics," he said during intermission.

He described the choreography and artistic presentation of the entire performance as "very picturesque."

Continuing he said, "The collocated scene of dancing artists on the platform with the backdrop is just gorgeous. The musical accompaniment and the connection of programmes are very smooth. Especially, artists' ascending to and descending from the heavens in the motion picture are so well linked with their physical presence on the stage that the show emits a strong flavour of science fiction."

The professor added, "Take The Buddha's Teachings Spread Far and Wide for example, the motion picture illustrated the zoom-in of Changan City [the ancient capital of the Tang Dynasty] when the Tang Monk returned from his journey to the West, and how Emperor Tang Taizong walked out of the castle gate in the background. The video was then linked to the platform, where actors emerged physically. I think such scenes are excellent as they provide a very unique sense of reality."

Mr. Chuang continued, "The combination of fictitious and virtual scenarios occurs throughout the show. I think it is very unique. The training of the dancing artists, and their body language and eye expressions, and the performance, is very professional. The entire presentation is very attractive."

Praising the emcees for their up-beat style in presenting the show, he said, "The emcee couple consists of a Westerner and a Chinese. Dotted with Taiwanese language sporadically, their Chinese-English bilingual introduction is so lifelike and humorous that it helps create an enthusiastic atmosphere in the auditorium."

Referring to the Shen Yun Orchestra Mr. Chuang said: "The live orchestra performance is great. I think [it] helped bring the audience closer, pleasantly surprising them and rendering them a great feeling of participation. The intimate interaction of the emcees and the audience made the atmosphere even more amicable."

Former Taiwan Minister of Defense: "Shen Yun demonstrates god's power of mercy"

Also in the audience was Dr. Ming Shian Tsai, accompanied by his wife.

"This is the first time I've seen Shen Yun. My wife and I were deeply moved," said Dr. Tsai, adding, "Tonight, we learned that Shen Yun Performing Arts demonstrates gods' power of mercy through the performance of music and dance.

"Freedom, democracy, and human rights are universal values. The pursuit of the universal values is shown in some of the programmes, which are performed quite vividly. I believe these people who are pursuing basic human rights will eventually succeed. The brightness will eventually prevail over the darkness."

He continued, "Through such lively music, dance, backdrops, and the demonstration of comprehensive arts, many people in Taiwan have learned that Falun Gong is not only a cultivation practice, but is also very positive, healthy, and lively. So Falun Gong is quite good."

The programme, Nothing Can Block the Divine Path, left a deep impression on Dr. Tsai.

"It's really touching. I saw a family being persecuted just because they persist in their belief of truth. The persecution makes the happy family broken. And finally, their unshakable faith moves gods and Buddha, who let the family reunite."

With a firm tone Dr. Tsai concluded, "I think that the ideals of resisting persecution, pursuing freedom, democracy, and justice are the same with the Taiwanese people who live in a democratic society. I believe that justice will defeat the evil. I give my best wishes to these persecuted people. We will continue to work hard and keep going!"

University Dean: "I was amazed by the wonderful coordination"

Professor Chien Cheng-chen, the dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences of Asia University, attended the show with his wife.

"It's great to see something illustrating the realms of Buddhas and deities, and it is very good to have gods in the heart," he said.

"I liked all the programmes, and I felt they [the dancers] were fully immersed in the plot. When it comes to performing arts, dancing with full dedication and dancing for others are two different things.

"I think they became the characters in the plots, as they were fully immersed in the stories. The performers' movements and facial expressions showed that they were fully into the performance," Professor Chien added.

Continuing, he said, "The overall performance was very good. It was my first time to see the dynamic backdrops, and I was amazed by the wonderful coordination [between dancers and backdrops].

"A female finally followed the higher beings to heaven and became a heavenly maiden [in the dance Nothing Can Block the Divine Path]. The conversion was very good.

Concluding he said, "The synchronisation on the stage was great, and the interaction of the stage and the backdrops was excellent."

Sources:

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/33618/

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/33608/

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/33597/