(Clearwisdom.net) Shen Yun Performing Arts Company International wowed audiences at the iconic Sydney Capitol Theatre in Sydney, Australia, February 8-23, 2011, with many saying that the performance far exceeded their expectations.

Chinese Mainlander on Shen Yun: “As a Chinese, I am very proud!”

The New York-based dance and performance company has timed its annual Australian season to coincide with Chinese New Year festivities this year, performing at the Capitol Theatre during the month of February.

Attending the show was Mrs. Wei and her two elderly Chinese friends from the mainland. Mrs. Wei first saw Shen Yun in 2008 and now sees it as often as she can. She especially appreciates the opportunity to hear tenor Guan Guimin sing and listen to his lyrics, which, for her, carry very deep, inner meaning. She has fond memories of him performing back in China many years ago. “Tenor Guan Guimin’s singing is so good. He is so sonorous, full of energy,” Mrs. Wei said.

When asked how she felt about the show, she commented, “It is very beautiful. I am so happy, I can hardly find a way to express my feelings.” Mrs. Wei said that she would tell all her friends and family about her memorable experience when she returns.

Mrs. Ma thought that Shen Yun was “Absolutely world class!” She was deeply grateful for the opportunity to see true, traditional Chinese culture displayed on stage through music, dance, song, and stories. China’s ancient culture has been described by many as a “divine” culture. “As a Chinese, I am very proud to see that we Chinese people have Shen Yun Performing Arts. I felt a warmth at the bottom of my heart. I was very moved,” she said.

This was the second time for Mr. Li to see Shen Yun this year. He thought Shen Yun to be of exceptionally high caliber. “From the backdrop to the costumes to the performers’ techniques to the music—everything looks as if it has reached the highest point possible,” he said. Mr. Li was happy to see the ancient culture of his people brought to life and portrayed so respectfully and sensitively through traditional art forms. He said that he had never seen such a wonderful show in his life. “I think the program is excellent. As a Chinese, I am very proud!”
“Just incredible,” says celebrity personal trainer Janet Campbell

Shen Yun Performing Arts' curtain call in the Capitol Theatre, Sydney

Janet Campbell, an Australian-born celebrity personal trainer, saw a little preview of the show in the U.S. but didn’t actually get a chance to see the entire show. Currently she is filming the Avatar sequels and two other films in New Zealand while visiting her family.

Ms. Campbell said that she was thrilled to finally have the chance to see the show. "I am so overwhelmed and entertained by the acrobatics and the choreography behind the show. It is very well put together and the music, the lighting, the timing is all just incredible," she exclaimed.

Ms. Campbell had originally thought the show was going to be more of a "Las Vegas kind of show.” “But I am very, very happy that it is traditional Chinese. I am happy that it is more traditional than ropes and acrobatics. I am happy to see that it is the natural performance of the actors and the dancers and the fighters," she said. Ms. Campbell, like many others in the audience, gained a new insight into Chinese culture. "It is beautiful to see that they are going with their feelings, instead of a Hollywood-style of acting, and they are all young and in shape, and it is beautiful to see that it is really coming from their hearts, and it is their culture," she said.

"Some people in the world are a little ignorant. They don’t respect [Chinese] culture. It is very enlightening to see what they teach while they are dancing. It is harder, sometimes, not to have any lines and a dialogue, but when you watch the performance and it is beautiful, you understand, we get to understand Chinese culture."

Ms. Campbell was so enthusiastic about Shen Yun that she looked forward to reliving the experience.

"It was beautiful, very touching and very romantic. I'm actually going to buy their CD and live the experience again. You feel like you are there. And the guy’s voice, oh! To die for—he is amazing! I have to get the CD, I have to," she said, referring to Qu Yue, a baritone, who sang “A Path to Heaven.”

Human rights professor: Shen Yun is “fantastic!”

Shen Yun Performing Arts curtain call in Sydney's Capitol Theatre.

Dr. Sev Ozdowski, Australian Human Rights Commissioner and Disability Discrimination Commissioner from 2000 to 2005, attended the show with his wife, Hanna. Having seen Shen Yun during previous tours to Sydney, Dr. Ozdowksi said that Shen Yun just keeps getting better and better.

“The best dancing I have seen in the last four years—very precise, very well trained, the choreography, its fantastic,” he said.

Mrs. Ozdowski was quick to comment that Shen Yun performances have always been spot on. “It was always there,” she said.

Adjunct Professor Sev Ozdowski (University of Sydney)

Dr. Ozdowski, who is currently the Director of Equity and Diversity at the University of Western Sydney, said that China’s record on human rights under the present regime had not gone unnoticed and particularly concerning was the state-orchestrated persecution of adherents to the spiritual practice Falun Gong. “I am very concerned about human rights in China, and I am concerned about what is happening to Falun Gong people,” he said.

The couple said that they particularly enjoyed Shen Yun’s dedication to reviving traditional Chinese culture and their depiction of that. “I am here because I enjoy Chinese culture,” he said.

Professor: Shen Yun is “more than spectacular!'

For Professor William Gibson, a well-known ear, nose, and throat surgeon, Shen Yun was more than spectacular. “I don’t know if there is a word in Chinese, but it was more spectacular than spectacular, but we lack that word in English … we should use it for this show,” he said.

“It goes back so far—and it is so elegant—right back many, many years ago. Obviously, it led the world back 5,000 years ago. In Australia, we had nothing, and in Europe there was really nothing, but China had a very elegant society so long ago.”

Mr. Gibson said he was very surprised by the quality of the performances. “I wasn’t expecting the way the scenery moved and how everything came to life with the performers ... suddenly, somebody, like the pig, leaps over the back, and then you see him fly up to heaven. That was so surprising, but beautifully timed. The performers were very, very professional indeed. It was just amazing,” he said.

He also commented on the dance sets that depicted the brutal persecution of Falun Gong, a cultivation practice that was banned in 1999 by the Communist regime. “That was a bit of a surprise to me. I thought everything in China was becoming much freer and easier. So, I was sad to hear that there is still a lot of suppression. “I know China is now financially getting very strong, very strong country. But it seems people are still oppressed, which is very sad,” Mr. Gibson said.

The professor speculated that the majority of Australians would not have known about the persecution had it not been for Shen Yun. “The message was there … and it came to life with the show,” he said.

One of Shen Yun’s trademarks is the exquisitely handmade costumes and intricately decorated head pieces. “That was one of the most spectacular things—what the women wore was amazing. And when they threw out their arms and the scarf, or the veil, went out sideways, and then they managed to make it so artistic, going round and round in circles—that was brilliant.”

During the intermission, Mr. Gibson went to the orchestra pit to check out the musicians. “I didn’t believe that so many people could be in the orchestra. It didn’t look as though there would be enough space for them all,” he said. “The fusion of the Chinese music and the European was amazing; it all came together beautifully.”

Catholic priest says Shen Yun a “beautiful” show

Father Emanuel Gatt, a Catholic priest from Wollongong, at the Capitol Theatre on February 16.

Father Emanuel Gatt, a Catholic priest from Wollongong, thought Shen Yun was “beautiful and excellent! It’s filled with spiritual things, comic things, and history,” he said. “It gives a picture of what’s really beautiful around you, you don’t notice it and then it comes—even like the divine being brought right here in a show and given to the people in such a way. It’s wonderful and makes you think.”

When asked if he could follow the story-lines in the show, he replied, “Oh, very easily. At the beginning, the creation [“When the Kings followed the Creator to Earth”] and everything like that up to the persecution in the present time [“The Opening of Heaven's Gates”]. “There is something here that redeems you again and makes you go ahead. You know, it’s beautiful, the dancing itself and the way they are dressed so nicely, so richly.”

The dance “Our Story,” which is based on the ongoing persecution of Falun Gong in China, drew a comment from Father Gatt. “One wants to be free, to express oneself, and right away you find out that there is a limit … that one of the classroom [“Our Story”] is very impressive, very impressive. Well, that is reality, and brought to the people in such a beautiful, simple message. It says you have to respect people and let them grow, trust them to grow, not just give them something and stop them … let them grow. It will help them to discover and trust—it’s happening but it’s beautiful, the way it has been performed and given to the people.”

Recalling the depiction of creation in the first scene, Father Gatt said, “That’s good, because everyone, every religion, has its own way of imagining what really happened. Everything comes from goodness, and when something goes wrong, we try to get back to that goodness again.”

Every dance held a message that he could relate to. “I loved the one with the monks [“Little Mischievous Monks”]. You know, that’s the human aspect of everything in life. It’s a very serious thing, all this praying, but then there is the human aspect, and you have to be yourself and give a bit to your human spirit.”

Regarding the many different spiritual beliefs that people have, Father Gatt said, “I think it’s the same, there is goodness and you want to reach it. You fail a bit and you want to go back and there is someone to inspire you to go back again. That’s something beautiful and is in every [spiritual belief].”

Of the show itself, Father Gatt said, “I love it, it’s beautiful. A nice occasion to come and I did, didn’t want to miss it. We already put it on our church newsletter, and many are coming … they know there is something to learn and something to share with other religions and other cultures.”

Shen Yun represents authentic Chinese culture

After Shen Yun’s show on February 15 was over, several Chinese gentlemen lingered and chatted pleasantly on the couch in the lobby of the Capitol Theater. One of them, James, had brought the other two to see the show.

According to James, the two men he brought were artists from China. One was a professional singer and the other was in charge of an art troupe. “They thought Shen Yun’s show was exquisite. One of them just told me, 'Shen Yun’s dances are absolutely the best. As far as the fundamental techniques and the art quality are concerned, there is no way the art groups in China can compete. Also, the techniques and skills of the soloists are extraordinary.’ They both know tenor Guan Guimin—he is very famous in China.”

This was the third time James had attended a Shen Yun show. “I feel my soul is purified through the show. For me, this is the most important. I am so moved by the show because it presented authentic Chinese culture and art from five thousand years ago.”

He continued, “The show can purify hearts and souls. I deeply felt something and this is definitely not some ordinary dance show. It’s very pure. My generation grew up under the Chinese Communist regime’s autocratic education system and was fed its propaganda over the past several decades. I believe, once they see the show, that people from China will realize that the culture promoted by the regime is, in fact, the culture of a big bad wolf. Shen Yun presents the real Chinese people’s culture. Every time I watch this show, I think to myself that this is what really belongs to me.”

James hopes that Shen Yun will one day perform in China, “The persecution of Falun Gong in China is as crazy as the Chinese regime can get. I believe that after China becomes a democratic country, Shen Yun should go to China every year.”

Entire family travels from China to see Shen Yun

Among the audience in the Capitol Theatre on February 17 were Mr. Dai and his entire family, who came to Sydney from China just to see the Shen Yun show. Mr. Dai said that he was honored to see such a great performance. “It would be even better if people in China could also see it for themselves.”

He was very excited after the show, “It was fantastic, the best of the best. The soloists are all well-known singers that we are familiar with. Tenor Guan Guimin was our idol when we were kids. I felt so honored to be able to hear him sing tonight. It’s been dozens of years since I last heard him and his voice is still moving.”

Dai loved the classical Chinese dances in the show. “The classical dance is the quintessence of Chinese culture and art. The artists danced like a God’s painting brush—amazing! One could never see such an exquisite performance in China.”

Mrs. Dai was also impressed by the show. She said, "If everyone believes in truthfulness, compassion and tolerance and strive to be good, then everyone will be happy and harmonious."

Mr. Dai and his family bought tickets for the shows on the following few days.