Magazine Writer: Shen Yun ‘Larger than life’

MELBOURNE—Shen Yun Performing Arts International Company continues to amaze Melbourne audiences with its unique programme that includes a full orchestra, classical Chinese dance depicting mythical and historical events, all set against a giant digital backdrop with very special effects.

Writer and editor Jackey Coyle [aka Jaqueline Coyle-Taylor] of Wordy-Gurdy Publishing, attended the second New York-based performance staged at the illustrious Regent Theatre on March 2 and was generous in her approval.

Based in Melbourne, Ms. Coyle fell in love with the printed word in childhood, and found her niche in writing in 1993, according to the Wordy-Gurdy website. Since then, her work has been published in magazines, books, journals and online.

World-acclaimed Shen Yun is “larger than life,” she said, with a strong message based on China’s 5,000-year-old history through to the present persecution of the spiritual practice Falun Gong.

“It is quite amazing,” she said, aware of the abysmal human rights problems in China. "I think it’s not surprising because I know there’s some kind of persecution happening … so it’s not telling anything I don’t know, but I’m very pleased that this other side of it is being put across."

The Shen Yun Orchestra’s unique fusion of Eastern and Western instruments was also a surprise to Ms. Coyle. “It seems to communicate quite well to us with a Western ear, but it feels very familiar after travelling in Southeast Asia and China a little bit," she said.

Ms. Coyle, who also has a dance background, expressed great respect for the dancers, saying: "It was beautiful. I know how much discipline goes into what they do. And also, it's been great to find out about Chinese traditional dance in such an environment."

When telling others about Shen Yun, she said she would describe how much action there is, and how she enjoyed the Master of Ceremonies introduction of each performance, and how much she learnt about Chinese culture.

“So it's interesting whether you know a lot, or whether you don't know very much. It's absorbing on a number of levels, on a visual level, the dance is beautiful and on a cultural level as well."

In a nutshell, Ms. Coyle would describe Shen Yun as "absorbing, inspiring, larger than life," she summarised.

Reporting by Ling Yang Kati Turcu.