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Shen Yun Performing Arts, formerly known as Divine Performing Arts, is a performing arts and entertainment company based in New York. It performs classical Chinese dance, ethnic and folk dance, and story-based dance, with orchestral accompaniment and solo performers.

Founded in 2006, Shen Yun is associated with the Falun Gong (Falun Dafa) spiritual practice, and performances around the world are hosted by local Falun Dafa Associations. Shen Yun states that its underlying mission is to "revive the essence of 5000 years of Chinese culture", which it asserts to have been nearly demolished by the Chinese Communist government.

The group is composed of three performing arts companies: The New York Company, The Touring Company, and the International Company, with of a total of over 200 performers. For seven months a year, Shen Yun Performing Arts tours to over 130 cities across Europe, North America, Oceania, and Asia. Shen Yun's shows have been staged in several leading theaters, including New York's Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, London’s Royal Festival Hall, Washington DC’s Kennedy Center, and Paris’ Le Palais de Congrès The show's acts and production staff are trained at Shen Yun’s headquarters in Cuddebackville, in Orange County, New York.

Shen Yun has garnered generally favourable reviews for the artistry of it performances, although the inclusion of political and religious content—such as acts which depict the suppression of Falun Gong in China—has drawn mixed reactions from critics. The performances have also allegedly faced interference from the Chinese government due to its affiliation to Falun Gong.

History

Shen Yun was founded in 2006 in New York by expatriate Chinese Falun Gong practitioners living in North America. The company’s first tour took place in 2007, when the company comprised 90 dancers, musicians, soloists and production staff. Initially the shows were titled "Chinese Spectacular", "Holiday Wonders", Chinese New Year Splendor, and "Divine Performing Arts", but now the company mostly performs under the name "Shen Yun." As of 2009, Shen Yun had expanded to three full companies and orchestras that tour the world simultaneously.

Content

Each year, Shen Yun creates original productions lasting 2.5 hours and consisting of approximately 20 vignettes featuring classical Chinese dance and ethnic dance, as well as solo musicians and operatic signers. Before each act, bilingual MCs describe the upcoming performance in Chinese and in local languages.

Dance

Each touring company consists of approximately 60 male and female dancers, and large-scale group dance is at the center of Shen Yun productions. The shows mainly feature classical Chinese dance, which is described on the company’s website as a comprehensive dance system passed down through thousands of years. Classical Chinese dance is recognizable in part for its extensive use of acrobatic and tumbling techniques, as well as its unique forms and postures, and the inner emotions conveyed through the movements.

Many of Shen Yun’s dances draw on stories from Chinese history and legends, such as legend of Mulan, Journey to the West and Outlaws of the Marsh. Some performances depict “the story of Falun Gong today,” including representations of human rights abuses in China, wherein Falun Gong practitioners are attacked by police, for instance. In addition to classical Chinese dance, Shen Yun also features dances that seek to capture the spirit of various ethnicities, including Yi, Miao, and Mongolian dance, among others.

Music

Shen Yun dances are accompanied by a Western philharmonic orchestra that integrates several traditional Chinese instruments, including the pipa, suona, dizi, guzhen, and a variety of Chinese percussion instruments. In addition to the live orchestra accompanying each performance, there are solo performances featuring Chinese instruments such as the erhu. Between dance productions, Shen Yun features virtuoso operatic singers, and songs which sometimes invoke spiritual or religious themes. A performance in 2007, for instance, included reference to the Chakravartin, a figure in Buddhism who turns the wheel of Dharma.

The company counts a number of accomplished soloists and musicians among its ranks. Three performers—flutist Ningfang Chen, erhuist Mei Xuan and tenor Guan Guimin—were recipients of the Chinese Ministry of Culture’s “National First Class Performer” awards. Prior to joining Shen Yun, Guan Guimin was well known in China for his work on soundtracks for over 50 movies and television shows. Other award-winning performers include Erhu soloist Xiaochun Qi, and bassoonist Hsiao-Ch’un Wang.

Costume and backdrops

Shen Yun’s dancers perform wearing intricate costumes, often accompanied by a variety of props. Some costumes are intended to imitate the dress various ethnicities, while other depict ancient Chinese court dancers, soldiers, or characters from classic stories. Props include colorful handkerchiefs, drums, fans, chopsticks, or silk scarves.

Each Shen Yun piece is set against a digitally projected backdrop, usually depicting landscapes such as Mongolian grasslands, imperial courts, ancient villages, temples, or mountains. Not all the backdrops are static; some contain moving elements that integrate with the performance.

Advertising

Shen Yun is heavily promoted in major cities with commercials, billboards, and brochures displayed in the streets and in businesses. Promotion of Shen Yun is often done by practitioners of Falun Gong, a spiritual practice that is persecuted in China. Media have raised objections about the show's promotion strategy, because Shen Yun does not note that there is Falun Gong-related, or what has been described as political content, in the performance. Shen Yun's promotional materials note that the local "Falun Dafa Association" is the sponsor of the show.

Reception

Every year, the three full companies of Shen Yun tour simultaneously some of the world’s most prestigious performing arts venues. By the end of the 2010 season, approximately one million audience members had seen the performance. Although critics have generally lauded the show’s artistry, some reviewers have been critical of Shen Yun’s religious and political content related to the suppression of Falun Gong in China.

The San Francisco Chronicle billed the show positively, writing that the performance "takes viewers on a visually dazzling tour of 5,000 years of Chinese history and culture via bravura displays of acrobatics and grand tales told through flourishes of Chinese classical dance." Paula Citron, theater critic for Canada's Globe and Mail said "the production values are grand in terms of costumes and scenic effects, and the performers are all very good-looking and meticulously disciplined." A critic for Chicago Tribune was particularly fond of the female dancers, stating, "they are as delicate as they are quick, and their skills include a nimble mastery of traditional talents, such as the classic fan dance." Joel Markowitz of DC Theatre Scene was most taken by the solo vocalists, describing tenor Guan Guimin's voice as "similar to the voice of the great Italian tenor Benjamino Gigli with a glorious sweet upper range-and crystal clear diction, sung with great emotion." A reviewer with the Philadelphia City Paper took note of the orchestra: "What struck me — having seen them previously — was how the orchestra's blend of Western and Chinese instrumentation and timbre works, its erhu players seamlessly mixing in with more traditional musicians." In 2008, The Toronto Star gave the show 1 1/2 stars out of four, describing it as "spectacularly tacky" and noted the choreography was "banal."

Some reviewers have also criticized Shen Yun for the presentation of its political and religious content. At least two out of 16 scenes are dedicated to "depicting persecution and murder of Falun Gong practitioners", including the beating of a young mother to death, and the jailing of a Falun Gong protester, but a Shen Yun troupe production manager described the rest of the show as also " virtues promoted by Falun Gong: truthfulness, compassion and forbearance". The Daily Telegraph stated the show presented "a Disneyfied version of Chinese culture" and described the performance as "propaganda as entertainment." The Guardian gave the show 2 stars out of 5, praising some elements of the show with comments like "The sinuous calligraphy of the dancers' bodies is elaborated with rippling silks and fans," but concluded that the show "is all too weird a mix of propaganda and bling." The Hudson Reporter cautioned that Shen Yun may contain "a biased view of Chinese history and contemporary culture".

The New York Observer wrote that while the performances depicting modern-day political repression in China “were rather unexpected for first-time viewers, the more traditional dances were nothing short of a triumph,” and noted that the show had performed in New York to “highly favorable reviews.”

Chinese government reaction

The Chinese government has attempted to cancel or delay Shen Yun performances through political pressure via its embassies according to the US State Department and Falun Gong-related sources. The Chinese embassy in Ottawa, Canada, said that the show was “propaganda” whose objective was to “smear China’s image” and damage bilateral relationships. Chinese diplomats have sent letters to elected officials in the West exhorting them not to attend or otherwise support the performance.

In Moldova the government cancelled two performances in 2010 after the government suggested that it might "hurt diplomatic relations with China." In Romania, government intervention also prevented Shen Yun from performing at a theater in Bucharest due to a "contract issue", despite protest from several Romanian members of the European Parliament. Performances in Ukraine were also cancelled after alleged pressure from China. In late January 2010, the government of Hong Kong refused entry visas for members of Shen Yun's production crew, resulting in the show's cancelation. Democratic Party chairman Albert Ho said the denial of the visas was a worrying new erosion of Hong Kong's freedoms and reputation. The Hong Kong immigration department did not comment on the specific case, but said that applicants "generally had to offer expertise not easily found locally". The decision was overturned in March.

See also

• Dance in the United States
• Falun Dafa

References

1. "Mission". Retrieved 15 November 2009. The Mission statement of Shen Yun Performing Arts
2. ^ "International Incident". The Pacific Northwest Inlander. Retrieved 15 November 2009.
3. ^ Hunt, Mary Ellen (4 January 2009). "Chinese New Year Spectacular in S.F., Cupertino". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 4 September 2009.
4. ^ Wenzel, John (1 October 2007). "Chinese New Year embracing tradition". The Denver Post. Retrieved 5 September 2009.
5. About the company
6. ^ SUSAN HODARA. 5,000 Years of Chinese Music and Dance, in One Night. New York Times. August 13, 2010.
7. ^ Elise Knutsen, ‘Shen Yun Performance Brings out Stars and Awareness’, New York Observer, 5 July 2011.
8. "Shen Yun Performing Arts 2009 World tour special coverage". Epoch Times. Retrieved 5 September 2009.
9. ^ Wright, E. Assata (2011-12-22). "Shen Yun returns". Hudson Reporter. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
10. ^ Shen Yun Performing Arts About the Company
11. ^ Adriana Rambay Fernandez, Dancing around the world, Hudson Reporter, 22 Jan 2012.
12. Higgins, Beau (15 November 2007). "'Holiday Wonders' Chinese Meets West Extravaganza". Broadway World. Retrieved 5 September 2009.
13. ^ Sparacino, Micaele (19 January 2010). "Deities, Dragons, Dancers, and Divas". Concertonet.com. Retrieved 29 January 2010.
14. ^ Goodwyn, Albert (11 January 2007). "Chinese New Year Spectacular". San Francisco Bay Times. Retrieved 5 September 2009.
15. Shen Yun, ‘Chinese Classical Dance Intro’
16. Shen Yun Performing Arts, “Tales from Chinese Literature”
17. Journey to the West
18. Outlaws of the Marsh
19. ^ Paula Citron. A dazzling show with a clear message. The Globe and Mail: Arts. January 22, 2008.
20. Shen Yun Performing Arts, Chinese Ethnic and Folk Dance.
21. Elina Shatkin. Vina leads Divine Performing Arts' Chinese New Year Spectacular. Los Angeles Times. January 01, 2009.
22. ^ Joel Markowitz, ‘January Pleasures’, DC Theatre Scene, January 28, 2007.
23. Shen Yun Profile of Guan Guimin
24. ^ Sid Smith, ‘Women flow like water in spectacle’, 28 January 2008.
25. Meredith Galante. A Day In The Life Of A Professional Dancer In A Traditional Chinese Company. Business Insider. 11 January 2012.
26. ^ Pousner, Howard (2012-01-17). "Many Atlantans OK with Chinese dance troupe's politics". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
27. Gumbrecht, Jamie (2012-01-21). "Surprised by the politics in shows like Shen Yun?". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
28. ^ Konigsberg, Eric (6 February 2008). "A Glimpse of Chinese Culture That Some Find Hard to Watch". The New York Times.
29. ^ Dabkowski, Colin (30 May 2010). "Song & dance spectacular not exactly what it seems". Buffalo News. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
30. ^ Mayes, Alison (2010-04-03). "The politics of dancing". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
31. A.D. Amorosi, ‘Divine Performing Arts’, Philadelphia City Paper, Dec 16, 2008.
32. Susan Walker (Falun) Gong New Year event mere propaganda, The Toronto Star, 20 January 2008
33. Crompton, Sue (25 February 2008). "Shen Yun: Propaganda as entertainment". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 1 April 2009.
34. Mackrell, Judith (25 February 2008). "Dance review: Shen Yun Royal Festival Hall, London". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 April 2009.
35. US Department of State, BUREAU OF DEMOCRACY, HUMAN RIGHTS, AND LABOR,International Religious Freedom Report 2010 Report, November 17, 2010
36. Epoch Times Article, Hans Bengtsson, Mar 28, 2009, "Empty Threats From The Chinese Embassy Backfire"
37. Epoch Times Article, Joshua Philipp, Jun 4, 2010, "Despite Chinese Regime Pressure, The Show Goes On"
38. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Chinese New Year Spectacular 'just propaganda': Chinese Embassy, 17 January 2007.
39. Keegan Hamilton, Chinese Government Kindly Reminds Seattle Officials About the 'Evil Cult' Coming to Town, Seattle Weekly, 6 Feb 2012.
40. US Department of State, BUREAU OF DEMOCRACY, HUMAN RIGHTS, AND LABOR, Moldova country report, November 17, 2010
41. Epoch Times Article, Leeshai Lemish, May 30, 2010,"Shen Yun Locked Out in Moldova, a First-Person Account"
42. Epoch Times Article, Epoch Times Staff, May 25, 2010, "Chinese Regime Pressures Moldovan Theater to Close Doors to Shen Yun"
43. US Department of State, BUREAU OF DEMOCRACY, HUMAN RIGHTS, AND LABOR, Romania country report, November 17, 2010
44. US Department of State, BUREAU OF DEMOCRACY, HUMAN RIGHTS, AND LABOR, Ukraine country report, November 17, 2010
45. Agence-France Presse, Falungong decries HK as democracy row deepens, 27 January 2010.
46. Sonya Bryskine, Kong Court Upholds Freedom and Shen Yun, The Epoch Times, 10 March 2010.

External links

• Shen Yun Performing Arts

• Falun Gong
• Dance in the United States
• Entertainment companies of the United States
• Companies based in New York
• Companies established in 2006