MUNICH,Germany—Well-known Munich actor Sven Kramer and his wife attended the show in Munich's Prince Regent Theater April 19, 2008. They liked what they saw and were particularly impressed by the flawless acrobatics.
The voice range of one singer [contralto Jiansheng Yang] impressed Kramer. He stated having trained in classical song and dance. " I can only say that it requires a high degree of discipline to bring such a show to the stage. Contrary to my style of acting, requiring mimic and voice, these actors have to use their whole bodies, particularly the acrobats. The [creative] anxiety, being breathless, becomes part of the choreography itself. That is quite impressive."
Kramer compared the performance to another form. "I had seen a live kung fu performance. The precise body movements these performers/sports fighters displayed impressed me. What struck me with the Shen Yun performance is the adherence to traditional themes—in spite of all the adversity—to retain and disseminate this cultural tradition.
He disagreed that Shen Yun portrays daily life in China but appreciates the harmony created in the performing company. "It is noteworthy to recognize how an assemblage of 40 some people can create one harmonious unit and travel the world, to forego their home life, to believe in tradition and stand by it.
"I am sorry to say I am ignorant how these traditions and dances are taught. I find it simply amazing to present this kind of culture and the desire to show it to the rest of the world. That is impressive. I doff my hat to that.
The actor wondered why such a wonderful show cannot be seen in China itself. "I was told these performers cannot return home to China. This makes me wonder about the questionable regime in China, to come from there and be shunned there, because I am of one mind contrary to that of the regime. [I cannot understand why] I wish to promote my homeland's culture that I am being discriminated against.
"Those people on stage are not denigrating China in the least. On the contrary, they show China only to her best advantage. They express with their performances that they love their country and her culture. I find it absurd to ban these people from their homeland.
The actor's wife commented on the program's aesthetics. "Everything is done gently, somehow naïve and playful, new for our cultural awareness. The portrayal of the three script characters Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance with the child on stage ["The Power of Awareness"] was nicely done, a comparison between today's situation in China and that of traditional culture. It was critical representation. But I found it [necessary] in order to present this critical point on stage and to portray it worldwide, to rally everyone into awareness."
She thought that performance alerts viewers to act in the face of injustice: "The more, the better."
For information about upcoming Divine Performing Arts shows, please visit:
www.BestChineseShows.com.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of the Chinese Spectacular. For our complete coverage please visit:
http://en.epochtimes.com/features/dpa2008/.
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