Shen Yun Performing Arts

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Shen Yun Performing Arts , formerly known as the Divine Performing Arts , is a performing arts and entertainment company based in New York . It shows Chinese classical dance, Chinese folk dances and national minority dances of China. Myths, legends and historical events from the past to the present of China are represented with the classical Chinese dance. The performances are accompanied by an orchestra that combines traditional Chinese and classical Western instruments. The Shen Yun website translates the term "Shen Yun" as "the beauty of dancing heavenly beings."

Shen Yun was founded in 2006 with a mission to reinvigorate the essence of 5,000-year-old Chinese culture that was almost completely destroyed by the Chinese Communist Party during the Cultural Revolution . Most of the cast in the ensemble practice Falun Gong (Falun Dafa), a Buddhist-based spiritual discipline. The performances are hosted by local Falun Dafa associations around the world.

Shen Yun Performing Arts has six touring groups with nearly 480 ensemble members. Shen Yun Performing Arts travels to Europe, North America, South America, Asia, and Australia seven months a year. In 2014 there were 400 performances in 117 cities in 19 countries. Shen Yun performances have taken place in leading theaters such as New York's Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, London's Royal Festival Hall , London Coliseum , Kennedy Center in Washington DC and the Palais des congrès de Paris . In Germany, the ensemble performed in the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden in 2014 . But despite its international success, Shen Yun has not been able to perform in mainland China or in Hong Kong to this day . Artists and production staff are trained at Shen Yun's headquarters in Cuddebackville, Orange County , New York.

history

Shen Yun was founded in New York in 2006 by Falun Gong practitioners living in exile in North America. The ensemble's first tour took place in 2007, with 90 dancers, musicians, soloists and production staff. Shen Yun said its mission is to "revitalize the essence of 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture," which they believe has been almost completely destroyed by the Chinese communist government. In the beginning, the show was named "Chinese Spectacular", "Holiday Wonders", "Chinese New Year Splendor" and "Divine Performing Arts". Today the company operates under the name "Shen Yun". By the end of the 2010 world tour, an estimated one million people had seen the dance troupe's performances. By 2016, Shen Yun had grown to five full ensembles and orchestras all touring the world at the same time. For the 2019 world tour, six ensembles were set up that performed in 130 cities.

repertoire

Every year there is a completely new production consisting of classical Chinese dance, ethnic dance, instrumental pieces and opera singing. Before each part of the program, bilingual moderators introduce the following piece in the local language and in Chinese.

dance

Each of the ensembles consists of around 40 male and female dancers, as the large-scale group dance is the focus of Shen Yun productions. The show mainly shows the "classical Chinese dance", a comprehensive dance system that has developed over thousands of years and which can be recognized, among other things, by its extensive acrobatic techniques, forms and poses. Shen Yun's repertoire draws on narratives from Chinese history and its legends, such as the legend of Mulan , the journey to the west and the robbers of Liang Shan bog . However, contemporary issues are also presented, such as the situation of Falun Gong in China today. For example, during the 2010 production, two of the 16 program pieces dealt with the "persecution and murder of Falun Gong practitioners" in contemporary China, showing a young mother being beaten to death and the imprisonment of a Falun Gong practitioner -Practice was depicted. In addition to classical Chinese dance, Shen Yun draws its inspiration from the spirit of various ethnic groups such as the Yi , the Miao and the Mongols . Shen Yun describes classical Chinese dance with three core elements: first the expression (Yun), second the form and third the technical ability. Technical skills are the physical techniques like twists, turns and jumps. The shape is about the subtle expression of the movements and poses that make up Chinese dance. With the term (Yun), Shen Yun refers to the "inner spirit" in dance. It is something that is related to cultural memory or ethnic taste and allows the dancers to convey their inner attitude to the audience. "Since the expression 'Yun' in classical Chinese dance is associated with the culture of the respective society, what defines the typical Chinese attitude was lost during the cultural changes brought about by the communist revolution," says Shen Yun choreographer Vina Lee . Lee explains that the dancers "need to cultivate their character" in order to convey the "transcendent and spiritual plane that is the soul of Chinese culture."

The Shen Yun Orchestra

Since 2007, Shen Yun has been bringing the audience closer to 5000 years of traditional culture, with the Shen Yun orchestra being a special component, as it mixes Western classical instruments with Eastern classical instruments to produce a new and unique sound. But the Shen Yun orchestra not only serves to support the dancers, but also had its international debut in October 2012 at Carnegie Hall in New York, where all three orchestras came together for a joint performance.

The program was led by the conductors Milen Natschew , Keng-Wei Kuo and Antonia Joy Wilson and included both classical works such as Beethoven's Egmont Overture and Antonio Vivaldi's Concerto in C major, as well as his own compositions that combine Chinese and Western instruments in a unique way connected.

Costumes and backdrops

Shen Yun's dancers wear elaborately made costumes for their performances, often with props belonging to the piece. Some of the costumes are based on the clothes of different ethnicities, while others describe ancient Chinese court dancers, soldiers or characters from classical stories. Props include brightly colored handkerchiefs, drums, fans, chopsticks, and silk scarves.

Each of the pieces by Shen Yun has its own digitally projected backdrop, which depicts landscapes such as the Mongolian steppe as well as royal courts, ancient villages, temples or mountains. Not all of the backdrops are static; some include animated elements that interact with the dancers on stage. Shen Yun filed a patent application for this animated backdrop on December 4, 2014, for a system and method for integrating digital background with the stage performance, and confirmed it on October 18, 2016 under patent number US9468860B2.

Advertising and promotion

Shen Yun sees itself as "A Presentation of Authentic Traditional Chinese Culture: A Study of Courage, Wisdom, and Virtues of 5,000 Years of Chinese Civilization". In its advertising, the company promotes the revitalization of Chinese culture after a period of attack and destruction under the Chinese Communist Party.

Shen Yun's performances are hosted and marketed by local Falun Dafa associations. This is also supported by practitioners belonging to the spiritual practice Falun Gong, which is persecuted in China. Howard Pousner of accessAtlanta.com pointed out in 2012 that advertising in the first few years did not always refer to the partially spiritually oriented topics of the program. But as early as 2013, direct spiritual topics were also included in advertising brochures, such as B. The “semi-divine culture of China” and “divine worlds” were recorded and mentioned in 2014 in the cultural sections of newspapers.

tour

Tour dates and appearances

Shen Yun was founded in 2006 with around 30 dancers plus an orchestra, soloists, artistic directors and production staff. During the 2007 tour, the company performed 32 times and was seen by approximately 200,000 people. Since that inaugural season, the company has expanded and initially had two touring groups with dozens of dancers, soloists and orchestral musicians, who simultaneously tour the world seven months a year and perform in Europe, North America, South America, Asia and Australia (Oceania). After completing the world tour in 2010, approximately one million people around the world had seen the performances. By 2014, Shen Yun had four touring groups with over 270 ensemble members. On his 2014 world tour there were 400 performances in 117 cities in 19 countries. Notable appearances have taken place at New York's Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, London's Royal Festival Hall and London Coliseum , the Washington National Opera and the Palais des congrès de Paris . In Germany, the ensemble performed in the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden in 2014 . In 2016 Shen Yun started its fifth touring group, the Shen Yun North America Company , which consists of "around 80 members: dancers, musicians, singers, presenters and a technical crew".

Shen Yun's world tour spans five continents, but there are still no performances in Hong Kong and mainland China. Shen Yun had planned to perform in Hong Kong in January 2010, but all seven sold out events were canceled after the Hong Kong government refused to issue entry visas to Shen Yun's production crew. This decision was reversed in March of the same year, but Shen Yun has still not been able to perform in Hong Kong to this day. At the same time, the Chinese communist government tried and tries to prevent the Shen Yun events outside of China through its embassies and consulates using political pressure. Chinese diplomats sent letters to Western diplomats exhorting them not to attend or otherwise support the Shen Yun events, as they believed their intention was "propaganda" to "tarnish the image of China" . In addition, top officials in the Communist Party's political advisory body have expressed concerns that China's own artistic troops are unable to compete with Shen Yun's international popularity. Shen Yun representatives say that the Chinese government's opposition to Shen Yun can be explained by the fact that the show depicts today's political repression in China on the one hand, and Shen Yun shows the traditional Chinese cultural history of the communist government on the other tried to wipe out during the Cultural Revolution.

The Chinese Communist Party exerted influence

The Office for the Protection of the Constitution reported in 2008 that the Chinese Consulate General in Munich tried to prevent the " Shen Yun - Chinese Spectacular " tour of Germany by contacting the German organizers and threatening them with disadvantages. "In 2010, the ensemble traveled for its own planned performances in the theater in Chisinau to Moldova . The performances were canceled at short notice, the ensemble and the audience were refused entry. In 2012, Norbert Bolinger, the director of the Kongresshaus in Zurich, on whose board of trustees the City of Zurich is also a member, received a visit from an employee of the Chinese consulate who asked him not to see the show, but Bolinger declined. In the same year, the Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC , warned the American people about Shen Yun. In 2014, the communist government continued to attempt to prevent Shen Yun's performances. In Berlin, the event manager Jörg Seefeld from the Stage Theater on Potsdamer Platz was visited by the cultural attaché of the Chinese embassy, ​​who tried to influence him, but Seefeld declined. On April 7, El Mundo , the second largest newspaper in Spain, published a report exposing the Chinese regime's attempt to force the theater to cancel the Shen Yun performance in Barcelona. In 2015 in Chicago allegedly the brake and accelerator pedals of a truck carrying Shen Yun advertisements were allegedly doused with "harsh chemicals". Shen Yun reported that Chinese spies took photos of their movements and listened to cell phone calls. In addition, there were suspicious break-ins in which only passports and laptops were stolen. Shen Yun reported that in 2016, prior to their shows at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville , the show host's car tires were cut. In 2017 and 2018 it was reported that further attempts to prevent the show had also been reported by theaters and local governments in Ecuador, Denmark, Ireland and Sweden. The Guardian writes that it is easy to dismiss Shen Yun as a "colorful curiosity ??", "but Falun Gong practitioners are among the most open opponents of the Beijing government," which is why Shen Yun's dance show has become a "concern of the Chinese government." to be one of "the battlefields on which the battle for the hearts and minds of Westerners and overseas Chinese is won". In 2018, Der Landbote published that the Chinese ambassador to Switzerland, Geng Wenbing, turned to the Mayor of Winterthur, Michael Künzle , to have him ban the performances. Geng had previously been to Zurich.

On January 22, 2019, ABC cultural reported that the director of the Royal Theater in Madrid had canceled the performance of three Shen Yun shows (on January 31 and February 1, 2019) on the grounds that there had been insurmountable technical difficulties . ABC suspected that this was again pressure from the Chinese Communist Party on the theater. Based on the suspicion, the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (WOIPFG) started a separate investigation. On January 22nd, WOIPFG called the Chinese Embassy in Madrid, posed as a high-ranking Chinese government official and spoke directly to the Chinese Ambassador Lü Fan . The phone call confirmed that the termination of the theater contract was solely the result of interference by the Chinese Communist Party. Lü Fan admitted during the phone call that he personally put pressure on the theater staff and director and explained in detail how he and the director developed and implemented a plan to hide the real reason for the show's cancellation and to cover up by means of "technical difficulties". He also described how he lured the director with economic incentives. The Chinese Ambassador Lü Fan is a member of the "Diplomatic Circle" of the Royal Theater; a group that claims to promote the international attractiveness of the theater. The general director of the theater was invited to China on January 14th and 15th this year.

The pressure on European theaters by the Chinese Communist Party and the "cultural infiltration of Beijing into Europe" was taken up on March 7, 2019 at a European conference of European parliamentarians. Research has shown that Beijing has pressured many European theaters - including the best venues - not to perform Shen Yun as some of the plays depict contemporary China, including the 1999 persecution of the spiritual practice of Falun Gong. Henri Malosse , the 30th President of the European Economic and Social Committee, agreed with Puro Arte Humano, the organizer of Shen Yun in Spain, that the problem with the Chinese Communist Party is that "it moves in the shadows, influence, put pressure, but nobody notices that she is doing that ”.

Reviews

media

To this day, Shen Yun has been described mostly positively in the media, but at the beginning of 2008 there were also negative voices.

The New York Times gave mixed reviews of Shen Yun's depictions of religious content and political repression in China because it was not included in the promotions, surprising viewers. The Guardian wrote in 2008 that "although there were some authentic and entertaining pieces on the show," the show ended up being "a kind of protest against China's communist regime." In 2020 the San Francisco Chronicle reported that Shen Yun continued to feature the communist regime's persecution of Falun Gong in its program.

But most critics approved of the art and message of such pieces.

St. Paul Pioneer Press believed that the 2012 production was "full of grace, athletic ability, lovely music, and amazingly beautiful costumes and backgrounds," and that the program touched the current political situation in China. It is "obvious that the creators of these traditional dances protect the past culture and at the same time want to plead for openness in the present day".

Clauspeter Koscielny from ORPHEUS-Musiktheatermagazin felt during the 2013 performance that “tradition and perfection, aesthetics and body control come together in an ideal way [and] combine to create unforgettable theater magic”.

Web links

credentials

  1. ↑ Shen Yun Frequently Asked Questions , accessed February 2, 2018
  2. ↑ The Shen Yun Performing Arts Mission , accessed February 2, 2018
  3. ↑ Falun Gong (Falun Dafa) , accessed November 7, 2015
  4. ↑ a b Shen Yun Successfully Completed 2014 World Tour , Epoch Times, accessed November 7, 2015
  5. ↑ a b David H. Koch Theater: Lincoln Center , New York, accessed November 9, 2015
  6. ↑ a b Le Parisien SHEN YUN 2014 - accessed November 7, 2015
  7. ↑ a b Shen Yun in Baden-Baden , Epoch Times, accessed November 9, 2015
  8. ↑ Shen Yun - Our Story , accessed November 7, 2015
  9. ↑ Holiday Wonders - Chinese Meets West Extravaganza , Broadway World, accessed November 7, 2015
  10. ↑ a b c Susan Hodara: 5,000 Years of Chinese Music and Dance, in One Night , New York Times, August 13th 2010, accessed on February 2, 2018
  11. ↑ a b Big News for 2017 , Shen Yun Performing Arts, accessed February 2, 2018
  12. ↑ There's a lot going on in the 2019 tour , Shen Yun Performing Arts, accessed December 7, 2018
  13. ↑ Introduction to Classical Chinese Dance Shen Yun Performing Arts, accessed November 7, 2015
  14. ^ Shen Yun Performing Arts, Journey to the West - accessed November 7, 2015
  15. Jump up ↑ The Robbers of Liang Shan Bog , Shen Yun Performing Arts, accessed November 7, 2015
  16. ↑ Ethnic Chinese Dance and Chinese Folk Dance , Shen Yun Performing Arts, accessed November 7, 2015
  17. ^ Chinese Classical Dance , Shen Yun Performing Arts, accessed Nov. 7, 2015
  18. ↑ Maureen Scott: Shen Yun: 5,000 years of Chinese Culture and Civilization set to Song and Dance and the LAC , accessed November 7, 2015
  19. ↑ Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra ( Memento of the original from September 12, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Carnegie Hall, October 28, 2012, accessed November 7, 2015 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.carnegiehall.org
  20. ↑ An Extraordinary New Music Experience , Shen Yun Performing Arts, accessed November 7, 2015
  21. ↑ Shen Yun Costumes , Shen Yun Performing Arts, accessed November 7, 2015
  22. ↑ Shen Yun Props , Shen Yun Performing Arts, accessed November 7, 2015
  23. ↑ a b The Shen Yun Classical Chinese Dance , Santa Barbara Independent, accessed Nov. 7, 2015
  24. ↑ Meredith Galante, Shen Yun Backdrop and Dance Image Gallery , Business Insider, Jan. 11, 2012, accessed Nov. 7, 2015
  25. ↑ Shen Yun Backdrops , Shen Yun Performing Arts, accessed November 7, 2015
  26. ^ System and method for integrating digital background with stage performance. October 18, 2016, accessed April 20, 2018 .
  27. ^ System and Method for Integrating Digital Background with Stage Performance. US Patent and Trademark Office, December 4, 2014, accessed April 30, 2018 .
  28. ↑ Behind the Scenes of Shen Yun , FOX 5 News, January 13, 2012, accessed November 7, 2015
  29. ^ Wright, E. Assata: Shen Yun returns , Hudson Reporter, December 22, 2012, accessed November 7, 2015
  30. ↑ Howard Pousner: Many Atlantans OK with Chinese dance troupe's politics ( Memento of the original from August 30, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Atlanta Journal-Constitution, January 17, 2012, accessed November 7, 2015 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.accessatlanta.com
  31. ↑ 6-page promotional brochures from the 2013 Shen Yun Tour
  32. ↑ Stuttgarter Zeitung - Kulturinfo, March 21, 2014
  33. ↑ Tan Hohua: Hong Kong Citizens' Protest Epoch Times, February 2010, webarchive.org, accessed February 3, 2018
  34. ↑ Sonya Bryskine, Hong Kong Court Upholds Shen Yun and Freedom , The Epoch Times, March 10, 2010, accessed November 7, 2015
  35. ↑ Hans Bengtsson: Empty Threats From The Chinese Embassy Backfire Epoch Times, March 28, 2009, accessed February 2, 2018
  36. ↑ Joshua Philipp Despite Chinese Regime Pressure, The Show Goes On Epoch Times, June 4, 2010, accessed February 2, 2018
  37. ↑ International Religious Freedom Report 2010 Report , Department for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, November 17, 2010, accessed February 2, 2018
  38. ↑ Chinese New Year Spectacular 'just propaganda': Chinese Embassy , Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, January 17, 2007, accessed February 2, 2018
  39. ^ Raimond Li: State-funded arts troupes fail to shine against Falun Gong rivals abroad , South China Morning Post, April 26, 2013, accessed November 7, 2015
  40. ^ Regina Weinreich: Beauty and the Beast: Shen Yun at Lincoln Center , The Huffington Post, New York, June 24, 2011, accessed February 2, 2018
  41. ^ Constitutional Protection Report 2008 , Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, accessed on November 14, 2019
  42. ↑ Nicholas Hune-Brown, Selling China by the Sleeve Dance , Hazlitt, October 2, 2017, accessed February 2, 2018
  43. ↑ Thomas Hasler, China wanted to prevent dance show in the Kongresshaus , Tagesanzeiger, February 23, 2012, accessed on February 2, 2018
  44. ↑ a b c d e f Nicholas Hune-Brown, The traditional Chinese dance troupe China doesn't want you to see , The Guardian, December 12, 2017, accessed February 2, 2018
  45. ↑ China's embassy wanted to prevent SHEN YUN in Berlin , Epoch Times, accessed on February 2, 2018
  46. ↑ Constitutional Protection Report 2014 , Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, accessed on November 14, 2019
  47. ↑ Juan Pablo Cardenal, Heriberto Araujo, friendly takeover: Chinas Griff nach Europa, Carl Hanser Verlag GmbH, January 30, 2017, ISBN 978-3446255005
  48. ↑ Massimo Introvigne, Shen Yun: The Show the CCP Loves to Hate , Bitter Winter , November 15, 2018.
  49. ↑ Jigme Garne, Chinese diplomats intervened at Künzle , Der Landbote, March 16, 2018, accessed on March 18, 2018
  50. ^ Jigme Garne, Rejection of dissident dance theater , Der Landbote, March 17, 2018, accessed on March 18, 2018
  51. ↑ Acusan al Real de cancelar un espectáculo de danza por presiones del Gobierno chino , ABC cultura, January 22, 2019, accessed on January 29, 2019
  52. ↑ a b Undercover Phone Call Reveals Chinese Embassy Pressure to Cancel Shen Yun in Spain , Epoch Times, January 28, 2019, accessed January 29, 2019
  53. ↑ Speak Out About Beijing's Cultural Infiltration: European Lawmakers , Epoch Times, March 10, 2019, accessed March 10, 2019
  54. ↑ Massimo Introvigne: Shen Yun: The Show the CCP Loves to Hate Bitter winter. In: Bitter Winter (German). November 15, 2018, accessed on May 2, 2019 (German).
  55. ↑ Eric Konigsberg, “A Glimpse of Chinese Culture That Some Find Hard to Watch,” The New York Times, February 6, 2008. Retrieved December 8, 2015
  56. ↑ Judith Mackrell "Dance Review: Shen Yun Royal Festival Hall, London" , The Guardian, February 25, 2008. Retrieved on December 8, 2015
  57. ↑ Behind the blitz: Falun Gong practitioners spend millions on Shen Yun ads. How do they do it? , January 26, 2020
  58. ↑ Joel Markowitz, “January Pleasures,” DC Theater Scene, January 28, 2007. Retrieved December 8, 2015
  59. ↑ Richard Connema, "Chinese New Year Spectacular Returns to San Francisco," Talkin 'Broadway. Retrieved December 8, 2015
  60. ↑ Rob Hubbard, “Shen Yun troupe offers Chinese dance, with a twist,” Pioneer Press, March 9, 2012. Retrieved December 8, 2015
  61. ↑ Greetings, Shen Yun Performing Arts program - Berlin, 22. – 24. March 2013