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“I am impressed with the 5,000-year-old Chinese history. It is like a journey … everything was amazingly well organized. And I'm impressed with the visual as shown on the backdrop in connection with what happened onstage.”
He also commented on the “wonderful” exquisitely decorated handmade costumes and headdresses that span China's dynasties, ethnicities and regions. Behind the artists, hi-tech digital scenes are projected onto a screen, each scene moves seamlessly between screen and stage exploding with color.
"These dancers are very talented. They must have been training as one group for a long time, as the synchronization is perfect when they dance," Mr. Bilgin said. "That was well done. One receives new impressions and insight into Chinese history and into modern times."
Among the company’s artists are members from renowned ensembles and music schools, and winners of international singing and dance competitions, the Shen Yun website explains.
"I loved the Tenor dearly. He was fantastic," Mr. Bilgin said.
The second part depicted a scene No Regrets, which spoke of a young man and his mother studying an ancient form of meditation, Falun Gong, persecuted by the communist regime in China. His strength of conviction wins in the end proving the ancient Chinese proverb, good will be rewarded and evil punished.”
"This story was so touching. I was really impressed that a connection to today's situation in China was presented," said Mr. Bilgin.
The grand finale, The Opening of Heaven's Gates, he liked very much. "The last scene, … was highly impressive.”
In concluding the vice consul said, "There was a timeline that weaved throughout the entire show, which was like a loop through history … It touches a curiosity nerve and presents new insights."
He said that the glimpse into the richness of China’s past whetted his appetite to learn more.
"I believe this to be a major objective of this show. We know that China's history is longer than what we could see today."
Vice-Consul Necati Koc was equally impressed with the show.
"The show was great. It was different from what one usually sees. It was a combination of dance and history, all in one."
At a time when the influence of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism was strong in the Middle Kingdom, art was a means of connecting with the higher universe, according to Shen Yun's website.
Artists cultivated virtue and engaged in study and meditation, because they believed that to create true art worthy of the heavens, there must first be inner beauty and purity. Today, Shen Yun’s artists follow in this noble tradition.
Reporting by Nina Hamrle and Heide B. Malhotra
The New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
