A company of Chinese dancers is taking the world by storm
with productions that showcase ancient Chinese mythology and traditions. ShenYun features lavish costumes, an animated backdrop and live orchestra
supporting some of the world’s best exponents of Chinese classical dance.
The company was founded in New York in 2006 when a group of
thirty Chinese artists decided to rediscover customs and values rarely
practised since the Cultural Revolution. The group met with immediate success
and has grown exponentially. Shen Yun now employs four hundred artists across
four companies performing in over twenty countries each year.
Perth business entrepreneur Mark Hutchison has been
instrumental in bringing the group to Perth for their first performance on May
1st. Shen Yun translates as ‘the beauty of heavenly beings dancing’ and
Hutchison says when he first watched a performance it was like being
transported to another land.
“The beauty and positive energy was very moving,” he said.
“The dancers’ athletic ability and purity of heart made it the pinnacle of art
in terms of quality. I flew my family to Sydney to see the show and vowed to
bring Shen Yun to Perth.”
Shen Yun brings to life legends such as the heroine Mulan on
the battlefield or the Tang Monk and his disciples Friar Sand, Pigsy and the
Monkey King. The production intersperses these ancient stories with the
struggles within modern communist China, spanning 5000 years of history. The
dancers are accompanied by a unique orchestra that includes Chinese instruments
like the urhu and pipa alongside western instruments.
Hutchison conducted business in China for many years and more
recently has begun to appreciate the cultural wisdom of the ancient civilisation.
“You can’t have culture without values. Values hold together
not just an individual but civilisation itself. Chinese civilisation was intact
for 5000 years because of its enduring values, thought to be handed down from
the heavens.”
Many of these ancient traditions – including China’s traditional
religions Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism - were eroded during the Cultural
Revolution. More recently Falun Gong, which encapsulates the values of all
three, was perceived as a threat and banned by the Communist Party. Shen Yun
showcases these traditional wisdoms and as a result the company is not
permitted to perform in China.
While Shen Yun’s gentle protests against tyranny have
attracted negative attention from the Chinese government, its artistic
credentials have made it a worldwide phenomenon in a fascinating example of the
political power of the arts. Hutchison says at its heart the show is about beauty
and positive energy.
“Shen Yun is a very expressive classical Chinese dance form
that is reviving these beautiful values. You don’t need to understand the
language to appreciate the values.”
Shen Yun is at the Regal Theatre May 1—4th
This article copyright The West Australian 2014.
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