Magazine Publisher: ‘I Feel Enriched’ After Seeing Shen Yun

VIENNA, Austria—Classical Chinese dance and music, heralding 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture, kept the audience enthralled during the opening show in Vienna of Shen Yun Performing Arts Touring Company at the Wiener Stadthalle on Sunday, May 1.

Professionals in the fields of art, music and dance where particularly enchanted with the Shen Yun performance this first night.

Ms. Ingeborg Tichy-Luger, publisher of the magazine "The Dancer," and also president of the Ballettclub at the Wiener Staatsoper (Vienna State Opera), was especially impressed with the performers artistic skills.

"I feel enriched to have been exposed to a new type of dance. I thought it was so interesting that a 5,000-year-old culture celebrates dance the way these artists do.

"As a dance specialist, I also look at the choreography, the movements and gestures … It was fascinating—the professionalism, the sets, the costumes, and the portrayals. Only those who are involved in dance can fathom how much work lies behind these accomplishments. That makes me doubly appreciate what I am seeing. All I can say is, congratulations!"

Ms. Tichy-Luger's dance magazine had featured a two-page spread about the upcoming Shen Yun performances.

Attending the show gave her an impetus to delve deeper into the roots of Chinese dance.

"I believe that the show entails dealing with profound emotions and thought. I must study in depth the background and the religious implications. It is also a nudge to involve oneself deeper with this philosophy. And for many attendees this might just be the push they need to search the Internet, to ferret out the meaning of the philosophy, which would make them see the show in a completely different light. That much is clear to me."

She said she would recommend the performance to others, "simply because it is so moving, so completely fascinating. For us middle-Europeans it represents another world, and that is part of its charm."

Asked to summarize her experience, she laughed and said, "Well, this evening is for me a highly professional experience.

"I congratulate all! Not only the dancers but all those who work in the background … Sensational costumes! It is fabulous how the costumes take on a life of their own and begin to fly during the choreography. These costume are part and parcel of the choreography and become one of its elements."

The Shen Yun Touring Company Orchestra, with its all-original compositions, combines Western and Chinese instruments to produce a unique sound. A most outstanding feature for Ms. Tichy-Luger.

"And a superb orchestra. Again, I say congratulations!" she said.

Reporting by Qing Huang and Christina Riveland.