“Absolutely fantastic! I’ve never seen anything like it before, and at first, I didn’t really know what to expect, but I found it absolutely overwhelming, truly magnificent. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I think it won’t be the last time I watch it,” said Christian Bulling, a venue manager.
“I’m completely enchanted. I feel a bit like I’ve been drawn into a dream. And I’m not really awake yet. It’s a bit like I’m dreaming,” said Uta Hocke, a psychotherapist.
“All the colors, the acrobatics, the entire interplay between the orchestra and the dancers, it’s absolutely fascinating. And all the computer-animated effects, the combination of which I never would have expected to be so good,” said Mr. Bulling.
“It’s absolutely beautiful. A truly wonderful piece, both in terms of content and the dancers, the music, and the choreography. But perhaps also, compared to classical opera, it’s very surprising and therefore somewhat different. In a certain way, it’s also very modern and creative, and yes, magical,” said Markus Dröscher, an entrepreneur.
Martin Bondesen, an artist, said, “I’m speechless. I even told my wife I still need to fight back my tears.”
Frank Dobers, a lawyer, said, “We gained a good insight into the culture and the religiosity, or rather the faith in God, of the traditional Chinese. We found that very impressive. And I was also very impressed by the performance; the precision of the show was remarkable. The combination of the visual presentation and the performers was absolutely perfect, one hundred percent.”
Mr. Bondesen said, “Since I am also very spiritually involved, this was a great experience, for inner meditation and for taking the inner path in order to become effective in the outer world.”
“Simply put, it’s about solidarity and learning to be polite, open-minded, and kind to everyone, to all cultures, whether young or old. Just be polite and considerate to everyone, and I believe we would all have a better life together than if we all only thought of ourselves,” said Mr. Bulling.
“What I took away is that the understanding between people, the understanding of older cultures, is something you take with you on the journey home,” said Mr. Dobers.
In addition to myths and legends, Shen Yun also portrays modern tales of courage in the face of the Chinese regime’s brutal persecution of faith. This is one of the reasons the company cannot perform in China to this day.
“We have just learned that this [show] is not allowed to be shown in China, and that is something we absolutely cannot accept. Culture must be preserved for future generations. That is an important message for us,” said Mr. Dobers.
“The central theme, the overarching theme, is freedom. Freedom and the possibility of fighting for it, truly fighting for freedom, standing up, not being intimidated, and especially in times like these, where these are creeping processes, freedom slips away on silent feet. And in that sense, I think this production is actually a symbol of that,” said Mr. Bondesen.
“Basically, the whole topic of human rights, this topic was always relevant in the past and remains current today. And I think it’s something we should always keep in mind, especially in the present day,” said Mr. Dröscher.
Simone Reichel, an economist, said, “I’d say you must see this. It’s China up close. It’s China, as it can never be shown in China itself. And it touches your heart.”
Mr. Bondesen said, “I wish Shen Yun continued success in the future. I am deeply moved, deeply impressed, and grateful that my wife and I had the opportunity to see this.”
