Shen Yun Orchestra ‘Is More than Theatre’ Says Artist

SYDNEY—Artist Hugh Oliveiro followed a lifelong interest and left Singapore to study art in Sydney. It was this love of art that prompted his good friend, Australian actress Judy McBurney to treat him to the Shen Yun Performing Arts International Company’s performance, a glimpse of ancient China, staged at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre on Wednesday, Feb. 23.

“I absolutely loved the show, absolutely beautiful,” Mr. Oliveiro said, aghast to learn that such a beautiful show is currently not permitted in China.

“I just think it is sad that beauty is denied in the world. It is not right for anyone to be denied beauty or to stop anyone enjoying it—to desecrate art is probably the worst crime in the world," he said. “It is the soul of the individual, it is the soul of a nation. So, I really think [Shen Yun] was great.”

Based in New York, Shen Yun’s story begins with a talented group of artists in the Chinese diaspora and a shared vision of cultural renewal. Many of these choreographers and composers, dancers and singers had previously joined forces in smaller scale productions. However, they wanted to take their vision to the next level. And so in New York in 2006, they united with the explicit mission of reviving traditional Chinese culture, the company's website explains.

Over the past 60-plus years under communist rule—and especially during campaigns such as the Cultural Revolution—much of China’s traditional culture was destroyed. But China has a 5,000-year history steeped in rich values and the idea that humanity and the divine are intertwined. This idea is built into the name "Shen Yun," which in context translates as “the beauty of divine beings dancing.”

Mr. Oliveiro praised Shen Yun for the way the performance was put together. The historical Chinese traditions were reflected in the handmade costumes and combined with the hi-tech digital backdrop scenes, combined very well, he said.

“[Shen Yun] is a very today thing, and I think if the world could glorify its beauty, and show us we can do this through art—music and dance—what a pleasant world this would be, and I think this should not be denied.”

He was smitten by the beauty exuding from the stage. “The simple beauty that comes from the soul. It was very touching and very entertaining,” he said, adding that Shen Yun commanded a new way to look at dance, "the symmetry and the technique.”

Speaking of choreographic techniques, Mr. Oliveiro said it looked to him “as if one dancer was split into a thousand pieces."

He said he looks forward to seeing more of Shen Yun's work.

As an artist, he really admired ancient Chinese art and was amazed by the intricately handmade and ornately designed garments and headpieces.

“That is just amazing. It was breathless and very touching and also, as an artist, again the colour is very raw, beautifully blended and when you see it en masse like that, you get a different idea.

“You see it in pottery, you see it in ceramic, you see it in painting, but to see it like that, coming alive, it may have been in its heyday or early history, just a joy, an absolute joy. The whole thing is just beautiful and superb, I just loved it.”

Shen Yun Orchestra’s fusion of Eastern and Western instrumentals was “all perfect, absolutely perfect, and brilliant. I really enjoyed it. Holistically, it is more than theatre, there was something happening there, very touching, and I loved it.”

In conclusion, Mr. Oliveiro summed up Shen Yun in a heartfelt way.

“It was beauty, and beauty touches the heart. It was beautiful and I think it had a lot, and said a lot, about humanity. More people should really look at this and look at the situation and see what is really happening, and that makes you go away and think, and that is what is really important.”

Reporting by NTD Television and Raiatea Tahana-Reese.

Shen Yun Performing Arts International Company will perform at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre, March 1-6. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org