If you can make it to only one show a year, let Shen Yun be your show of choice. And, New Tampa residents have two weekends when you can check out this awesome dance spectacle fairly close to home — on January 27-28, at the Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg, and February 7-8, at the Lakeland Center.
Since its inception, this classical Chinese dance company has taken off with, literally, flying colors. The pageantry of dance and music is a stunning display of Chinese civilization—with dancers spinning and leaping through the air in brilliant handmade costumes that take your breath away.
Shen Yun Performing Arts had humble beginnings as a small nonprofit organization based in upstate New York. It was established by a group of talented ethnic Chinese artists who came together with a shared vision—to revive genuine traditional Chinese dance, music and culture and share it with the world. When it started touring in 2006, Shen Yun was an instant success.
Shen Yun has toured more than 100 cities worldwide, performing in front of millions across North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. One of its trademarks is that each new season the company creates a brand-new production, which remains secret until the day the curtain finally rises.
More Than Entertainment!
But, sheer popularity is not the only reason why you should experience Shen Yun. Perhaps because of its profound mission, watching Shen Yun gives you the feeling of partaking in something historic, in the resurrection of a long lost world – the world of ancient China, the Middle Kingdom that can no longer be seen even in China today. It is a world where divine beings and humans interact, a magical world of myth and legend. It is a world that speaks a universal language. The performance includes bilingual MCs who provide brief preludes to each story.
Many audience reviews speak of leaving the theater with indescribable happiness, inspiration and even a newfound sense of peace.
The performance “touched the deepest part of my soul,” wrote Maria Banks from Los Angeles in one review posted on Shen Yun’s guestbook. “Shortly after returning home, my tears broke through again and again. It feels as though my heart’s been washed clean. Gratefully yours.” And, it is a world that speaks a universal language. The performance includes bilingual MCs who provide brief preludes to each story. But more importantly, classical Chinese dance and music speak directly to the heart, resonating with the audience on many levels.
Not Made in China
Shen Yun is completely independent of the regime of the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing. In fact, even though the company annually performs to sold-out theaters around the world, it actually is not allowed to perform in China.
Over the last six decades, China has experienced one communist campaign after another aimed at destroying traditional culture. Mao Zedong (Tse-tung)’s Cultural Revolution of the ’60s and ’70s, in particular, sought to completely eradicate this ancient heritage. Young Red Guards were mobilized to smash sacred statues, burn books, and defeat the Four Olds, which included the system of virtues that guided Chinese morality for thousands of years.
“Actually, in China today, you can no longer see performances of genuine traditional Chinese culture,” says principal dancer and choreographer Yungchia Chen. Chen grew up in China, but later moved to Taiwan, where he won numerous awards throughout his dancing career, and finally found his calling with Shen Yun. “China has many talented dancers, but the choreographers aren’t allowed to choreograph any traditional pieces for them to perform. Shen Yun is different.”
“Shen Yun is making every effort to bring back the most authentic, most beautiful part of Chinese culture—through dance,” he says. “For example, the story of a mother tattooing four words on her son’s back is about loyalty. The legend of splitting the mountain is about filial piety, and the tale of Wu Song battling the tiger is about courageously helping others.”
Five Millennia on Stage
“There are countless stories in the 5,000 years of Chinese civilization,” Chen says. “The challenge is to find stories you can depict on stage. In a play, actors can speak, but in dance you have just a few minutes to tell a story…with clarity, and in a moving way.”
Year after year, Chen and his colleagues succeed in doing just that. Shen Yun’s performances have become a staple for many celebrities and veteran theatergoers alike. The company’s success also has attracted a constant stream of new talent.
Shen Yun is home to an impressive number of artists from around the world. And, these artists take Shen Yun’s mission to heart. This can be seen in their energy and joyful enthusiasm on stage, as well as their seamless cooperation, the type that can only arise from a common sense of greater purpose.
“When dancing, sometimes there is an instant when you feel like our hearts are all together, united,” says Shen Yun choreographer Michelle Ren. “That moment is really sacred,” she says. “And in it, you can see pure beauty.”
Shen Yun will be performing at St. Petersburg’s Mahaffey Theater January 27-28; at The Lakeland Center February 7-8; and at the Venice Performing Arts Center Feb. 10-12. For tickets and information, visit ShenYun.com/FL.
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