One of Shen Yun Performing Arts’ eight classical Chinese dance companies has returned from a more than two-month tour through Europe. The performers received a warm welcome from fans at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago on March 11, many of them holding flowers and banners.
The celebration marked the successful end to the European leg of the company’s world tour—with the Europe portion spanning 13 cities in 5 countries, for a total of 59 performances across Italy, France, Austria, Germany, and Belgium.
Lead Shen Yun dancer Carol Huang offered a glimpse of what it’s like on stage.
“The audience is becoming more and more enthusiastic every year. Every time the curtain calls, you can see that the audience is very excited. They all stand up and applaud, and then they refuse to leave for a long time,” she said
Shen Yun violinist Sarah Veazey explained: “We recently had a performance in Leipzig, and we had a complete standing ovation. A lot of the audience members were crying because they were so moved at the end. The curtain came up four times afterwards.”
What makes the show so unique? Ms. Veazey added: “The Shen Yun show is like taking a breath of fresh air. Especially nowadays since in society everything is so fast and it just feels a little bit messy sometimes. But when you go into the show, you’re going to laugh, you’re going to cry, but you’re going to come out feeling uplifted.”
Likewise, Shen Yun dancer Aaron Huynh explained the message of hope behind the performance, and what drives him and his fellow performers.
“Throughout the whole show, we try to portray this image of giving hope and showing that humanity is not lost. We have good in everyone and it really takes effort of each person, to put in their own effort to be a better person,” he said.
Shen Yun’s artists also shared their secret for how to keep their energy levels high while coping with intense performance schedules.
“The biggest thing is that mentality, we try to stay as positive as possible,” Mr. Huynh said. “So in between breaks or when we’re self-practicing, getting ready for the show, we try to be positive and keep positive energy surrounding us, so we don’t feel too tired. Different people come to every show, and it’s not the same person sitting there watching. So we want to give our best for the audience.”
Ms. Huang went on to describe how seeing the audience at each show encourages them.
“In different countries, the reactions of the audiences there will be different, because the cultural differences may be different in each place. So we are also looking forward to how the American audience will react to our program,” she said.
On the other side, theatergoer and Shen Yun fan Lisa Rudek described her experience sitting in the audience.
“It’s wonderful when they come over and perform. They bring a smile to everyone, they bring positive energy, and it’s phenomenal how people feel inside,” she said.
Shen Yun Performing Arts next heads to the greater Chicago area for five performances at the Rosemont Theater March 14 to 17.
NTD News, Chicago, Illinois
