The artistry deeply moved audience members, such as Sandrine David, a theater director, who said the show was “magnificent, beautiful, touching."
"It is so very emotional. I apologize, I’m very moved,” she said.
Madalina Leonat, a professional dancer, said the performance was "so radiant, it was so magnificent, and it was so expressive."
She said that she saw the dancers gave it their all.
“The legs, they were flying. It’s very good, the synchronicity, I loved it so much. There was so much expressiveness. All the girls were magnificent, and all the postures.”
Robert Turner, a conference interpreter, said, “I think I can’t find words to express the beauty, the wonderful values, and I’ve been coming to see Shen Yun for at least the last 12 years. I come every year.”
“I knew a little of the stories of Falun Dafa. There are demonstrations in Geneva, and I’ve seen documentaries. I don’t understand how the history of a country can be swept away,” Ms. David said.
“A country must have a history, and China’s is incredibly rich. A history full of countless things, yet we are erasing it and destroying it all. We are also destroying the people who seek to do good through spirituality.”
Jean-Luc von Arx, a city councilor for the city of Geneva, said, “We have to let people live in peace with the beliefs they have. And I think the importance of this performance is to show that everyone has the right to practice the rites they believe in.”
Mr. Turner said he hoped that the performance would be able to go to China one day. "And I think we must reconcile. When people are in conflict, it’s not good to remain in conflict. We have to find a way of reconciling and come to peace with one another,” he said.
“The dedication of the dancers, the musicians, and the beauty of Chinese traditional culture, Chinese literature, and the idea that… the Chinese culture was originally a divine, celestial culture that came from the heavens,” Mr. Turner said. “I see that this is obvious. It’s a wonderful traditional culture that comes from the heavens. It’s something godly about it, something divine, and that’s portrayed very clearly in this spectacle.”
Ms. Leonat said, “I liked that it was very spiritual and human at the same time. And I know how hard it is to be in sync and give everything. But God is always there for everyone, and it takes a lot. The performance was magnificent.”
Councillor von Arx added, "The show was exactly as I expected it to be. Colorful, with legends, tales, and lots of movement. And traditional of what Chinese history is. And I think it’s this spirituality that brings people back to believe in peace.”
Ms. David added, “There is beauty, there is appearance, there’s the divine. That’s it, and I think there’s hope that we can get through this. There’s such tremendous joy in it and hope."
Shen Yun will perform in Salzburg, Austria, on March 1 and 2.
