Feb 28, 2009

'My general impression is that it was very beautiful,' said drama critic, Ms. Bogoskala. (NTDTV)

PARIS--The opening show of the Shen Yun Divine Performing Arts 2009 World Tour at the Palais de Congress in Paris on Friday night, Feb. 27, astounded audience members who were seeing an amazing revival of Chinese traditional culture.

Many bemoaned the fact that such beautiful stories from China's 5,000 year-old history could have soon become lost, were it not for the Shen Yun artists. Chinese communism has wanted to turn over a new leaf, bring communist art to China and have the Chinese people forget their impressive history.

Audience members were very impressed with the Shen Yun Divine Performing Arts orchestra, which combines Western and Chinese musical instruments to create a unique and beautiful sound. Currently it is the world's only orchestra that embraces both Western and Chinese instruments together.

Drama critic Ms. Karia Bogolskala, a woman of Russian descent, had not known what to expect when she attended the show and gladly shared her views.

"My general impression is that it was very beautiful. The dancers were very elegant, even the marriage of colors was absolutely extraordinary. In France, we're not used to this spontaneity anymore and this innocent outlook on the world. ... [In general] there is no direct perception of beauty and when you see this [show], it's magnificent, especially as it has arisen from true belief. Otherwise it would be flat," Ms. Bogolskala said.

She continued: "I found that exceptional in the sense that there's classical music, classical dance and a particular touch of Chinese art with much fluency. We feel that there's a lot of work behind that fluency and in Chinese dance there is an arts and crafts side, in the noble sense of the term. I like the singers and the music with the traditional Chinese instruments and it's a change from the usual classical music."

Ms. Bogoskala eloquently spoke of one of her favorite pieces in the show: "There is a piece that particularly touched me and it's the one where the prisoner forgives her persecutor [Dignity and Compassion]. I thought it was superb because it's a good lesson for humanity regarding certain dictatorships. It's exceptional! It's the scene that I really appreciated, as well as the one about Spring [Welcoming Spring]. Very colorful and beautiful!"

'There was a culture that has been stomped on and that is now reviving'

Carole and Elisabeth, who asked that their last names not be used, are members of the Air France pilot trade union, and were astounded by the millennia old art form they had seen for the first time.

They had come to this show because it promised something new and something that would help them understand more about a different culture.

"The very interesting point in this show is to see the different dances from different regions and times. We especially liked the drums. That was very surprising."

They thought for a moment and then added, "We loved the grace linked to the posture of the dancers, the harmony, the softness of movements. One can feel a very strong cohesion in the group. We can say 'bravo and congratulations,' one can feel that each dancer is a full part of the whole. That was soft and fluid, but one can imagine the amount of work necessary for this result."

"We came to have new insights, and this is what we obtained. By the way, it was very good to have hosts guiding us in this trip. Through this show we can see that behind Mao there was a culture that has been stomped on and that is now reviving."

More Grace than in Classical Western Dance

Ms. Verrett Paquita from Corbeil Essone City, an insurance manager and former assistant manager at the Paris Opera, was equally impressed and amazed by what she had seen.

"That was extremely entertaining. Especially after a full day at work, we arrive here in another world. It is very colorful and joyful, one can feel both respect and serenity, respect of tradition and of Chinese civilization, all of this displayed during the whole show," Ms. Paquita shared excitedly.

She said, "This is the first time [I have seen the DPA show] and I'm very happy to be here in the midst of China. There is more grace here, something I don't find as much in Western classical dance."

Ms. Yannick Pipon, assistant communication manager at the Paris Opera, took time out of her busy schedule to see this show. She wanted to share that she was most touched by the piece Dignity and Compassion.

"I did like the scene where [the Falun Dafa practitioner] is in prison, because she is able to show compassion for her torturer, I found that marvelous from a humanistic point of view," she said.

Source http://theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/12848/