Kentucky Asian Culture Association and Kentucky Falun Dafa Association Proudly Present
SHEN YUN
The Show That's Leaving Millions in Awe
Reviews
"The Best! The Best! The Best!" - Charles Wadsworth, Founding Artistic Director of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
"The dances were graceful, delicate, and beautiful! There was something pure and bright and also very dignified about them. This show gave me a real sense of goodness and meaning in life." - Anna Liceica, Soloist of American Ballet Theatre
More Reviews & Quotes* Shen Yun Performing Arts, formerly known as Divine Performing Arts, shows included Holiday Wonder and Chinese New Year Spectacular.
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Richard Connema, critic for Talkin' Broadway and seasoned theater patron, "I probably have reviewed over 3 to 4 thousand shows since 1942. A lot of reviewers use stars... I will give this production 5 stars. That's the top," he said. "The dancers were absolutely fantastic ... I found out that there was not only dancing in this but heart. You could feel that coming even from where I was sitting ... Just a beautiful production... I've never seen anything like that. I've seen enough Broadway shows that still cannot compare to what I saw tonight The best word to use was 'mind blowing'. And I watched around the audience and they all were so involved with everything going on." |
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"Incredible, Astonishing, Breathtaking," says dancer, vocalist, composer, and performer, Lindsay Hachey who studies classical ballet since she was little and love the elegance of classical ballet, but the SHEN YUN show has opened her eyes - "the DPA dances are even more elegant, more exquisite, with richer content; the integration of the steps with the drum beat and music is just impeccable; there is closer tie between the music, the background story and the innermost feelings. The multifarious styles displayed on stage beautifully express various intense emotions." "I just wish the show would never end." |
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Internationally renowned violinist Joshua Bell who plays a 300-year-old Stradivarius violin, and has studied under renowned violinist and pedagogue Josef Gingold, said he was surprised at the depth of the emotion in the SHEN YUN orchestral music. "I liked it very much. It was very powerful, very emotional. I had a great time... It is very pleasing for all the senses...it tells a story and it's uplifting...it makes you feel good." |
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James Zimmerman, a dancer for 34 years specializing in traditional dance from Bavaria, Austria, Russia, and the Ukraine: "It was unbelievable, fantastic, " he couldn't conceal his excitement after watching the SHEN YUN show, "I have never seen such a fine production ... I have seen many wonderful dance groups over the years, and now this is one of a kind, the best of the best." " I am so excited, I want to get up and dance with them on the stage!" |
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Singer Sam Paris has performed in great theaters in New York and Paris. He said, "The Chinese Spectacular not only presented highly entertaining art, it sublimated my soul after watching the show. My soul was lifted to another height.
I felt a righteous energy from the show." With his roots in gospel
music, Sam Paris has been singing for over 20 years. He was impressed
with the divine message that DPA conveyed and its presentation of
spirituality, "The show seemingly brought me on a tour of the heavenly
world. I felt like I had drank a cup of pure water in the desert...I saw the soul of mankind on the stage. If mankind can continue to believe and realize the grace given to us, our future will be wonderful."
On September 26th, 2008, Sam Paris led his chorus to perform in the Allhelgona Kyskan Cathedral in Stockholm for the benefit of The Divine Performing Arts Group. Sam Paris wants to donate all the income from the benefit performance to the Performing Arts Group, to express his support and gratitude. Sam Paris, his orchestra, his choir and all the audiences expressed their great interest in the Gala performance next spring in Sweden. Sam hopes that people at every corner of the world would have the opportunity to appreciate the true traditional Chinese culture expressed. He said, "This is the most precious gift to the world."
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The vast beauty is overwhelming. Mr. Tom Barnhorn, the vice mayor of Seminole, watched the show and said every dance was so perfect...the show was an eye-opener for Chinese culture and history. "The vast beauty is overwhelming...I definitely would recommend it to everybody--for all ages. I would encourage everyone in the city of Seminole to see it," he said. |
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Ballet Dancer & principal of an artistic school in Stockholm, Nadia Kevolej said, "the performance is so exquisite. The costumes are so beautiful, and the backdrop so colorful... the story, the evolution of the plots, and the messages conveyed are very clear. All programs are outstanding." What moved her most was the dancer in "The Risen Lotus Flower". "She danced so well, and put so much into her performance. Her dance movements were so clean, exquisite, and the meaning expressed was very clear. I was moved to tears. |
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"I was totally lost in bliss and amazement," said former minister of public engineering and state land in the State of Geneva, a politician with musical talent. "I was amazed by the performers' bearing and form. In the flowing dance 'Water Sleeves', the three basic elements--form, bearing, and technique--were all fully reflected. They were simply beautiful." |
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Well-known South Korean Vocalist & music professor: "The show made me feel I had left the secular world for a moment.
I don't know if I will have another opportunity to see such an
outstanding performance in this lifetime." On stage, Xin Guikun mostly
sings western pieces. He said that most operas depict secular stories
of love and death, revenge and hatred, "But the music I heard today is so pure, and it can make people healthier and purer."
"The coordination between the sopranos and the pianist was simply
perfect. The contralto's timbre is extremely abundant and very
peaceful. It left a very deep impression on me. The Divine
Performing Arts is a masterpiece that transcends human imagination and
makes one forget one's own existence, as if one has been elevated out
of this world. "
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Robin Dale, a popular Scottish musician in Taiwan: I Thought I Was in Heaven...I felt for the first time complete fulfillment. I was
100 percent satisfied! When I heard the songs during the show, I wanted
to sing along. I grew up in Asia. Therefore, this is not the first time
I saw classical Chinese dance. I am in show business and I have seen
many world-class performances. I must say that the Divine Performing
Arts is unique and was an eye-opener from the minute I began watching
the show. I can't say which number I liked best, because everything
throughout the entire show was beautiful and the backdrops were
perfect. What is most amazing is that the costumes, the dance, the
music, the songs and the message throughout the program tried to convey
a meaning. I liked everything very much. The beautiful celestial
maidens and accompanying music made me wonder if I was in heaven! I am
a composer and I sing and play instruments. From a professional point
of view, the music in the Chinese Spectacular is very beautiful and
moving. The music composition is perfect and ties in with the
choreography. The music even matches the backdrop and the colors. It is
marvelous! This is why music is important, because it unifies
everything harmoniously.
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"Everything was impressive," said Canadian figure skaters & Olympic medallist. Elvis Stojko, one of the most successful and well-known Canadian figure skaters to ever take to the ice. He's a seven-time Canadian champion, three-time world champion, and two-time Olympic Silver medallist. "Each single act had its own energy and character," he said. "I prefer it over ballet because it's not just about perfect technique and perfect toe point, even though they also have that, it's about the energy and the essence and the spirit of the person doing it and what they're trying to convey... It's a breath of fresh air ..." |
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"The show is perfect in every aspect, " said New York musician Shannon
Taylor who very much enjoyed the Holiday Wonders. He expressed with
emotion how the show captivated his heart as soon as the curtains
lifted, revealing a beautiful scene. "...the production's music, dance,
costumes, backdrop, sound effects, and the entire arrangement of
decoration and stage props were perfect and blended together naturally
to give it a great deal of power. The technology in the backdrop and
its effect in this show are rarely seen. From the backdrop, the
different characteristics of ancient China, Mongolia, and Korea are
displayed, as if we were actually there. You get a very strong feeling
of personal immersion in the setting," he said. Taylor has attended
many musical performances and managed various artistic shows. He said,
"Even though I have a lot of experience, many aspects of this show are
unique and cannot be seen anywhere else...the performances in the show
are rich and colorful, and the choreographers and directors skilled and
talented." "The entire show conveys the messages of brightness, joy,
life, and hope. These are not only the essence of Chinese culture, but
universal values. From them we can see the compassion of human nature,
as well as the ideals of human rights, which is very inspirational and
educational. That was the best part."
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Mihail Iovu, president of the Societe Generale BRD, the second largest bank in Romania, "I've seen numerous performances in my life, including ballet, the theater and the orchestra,etc., but I've never seen such a beautiful show. Today's performance surpasses all of them, from dances to the costumes, everything is perfect. The spirit that the performance expressed, is also outstanding, marvelous. It's the best and the most beautiful performance I've ever seen during my 76 years. This show should play here [in Romania] for half a year so that more people can see it. " "These performers are so young, but their skills are already advanced. They have reached perfection. All that I've seen today is incredible. The beauty of the performance today is hard to describe with words." |
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Roland Cope, a popular actor in Paris: The show is of top quality - it is extraordinary and full of poetry. Roland Cope and his wife Monique applauded enthusiastically throughout. Roland's wife stood up and yelled, "Absolutely wonderful!" after the show. Roland said, "The show is of top quality - it is extraordinary and full of poetry. I can feel a strong power that is very natural. This type of dancing is rarely seen in Europe, or for the matter in Paris. The show addresses the past, present and future. What's unique about it is that it conveys a great power, which is magnificent..." |
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Kenyan artist Louise: The Chinese Spectacular was extraordinarily beautiful. "Compared with Western shows, the Spectacular is even more beautiful and exquisite, with its costumes and the orchestra." Louise thought the performances were in line with Chinese philosophy and history, and admired the very clear theme that ran through the entire show: that heaven decides the fate of humans. |
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Minister: A Refreshing Beauty to be Found Nowhere Else. "This is the second time I have seen a performance by the Divine Performing Arts. I discovered this show last year, and the 2008 show is as outstanding as it was in 2007," said George, a minister, after the show in Paris on March 1. "I remembered this date so that I wouldn't miss the show. Its refreshing beauty can't be found anywhere else." |
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Psychiatrist: "This performance has a soul; it will open your heart and mind!" Jussi Nikkila, a psychiatrist in Finland and five of her friends watched the second show of the Divine Performing Arts Chinese Spectacular in Tampere, Finland. Nikkila could hardly suppress her excitement, "We all felt the pure beauty of the dances and the colors tonight. It really is one of a kind! "I want to thank the artists from the bottom of my heart; I thank them for coming to Finland. I want to tell every performer that you must keep moving forward and continue this artistic creation and performance!" |
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World-class musician Alicia Zizzo: The Divine Performing Art's original musical pieces were rich in positive energy and were purifying to the soul. Each musical piece told a story, which she had not experienced before in listening to western music, said Alicia Zizzo, PhD, an expert on George Gershwin variations. Comparing to western music, which is splendid on the surface yet lacks variation, eastern music is often slow, leaving sufficient time for one to ponder. She said that the musical pieces were powerful and they penetrated people's hearts, as their simplicity enforced their purity. |
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Kory Tylor, ballerina, singer, and choreographer, who owns the Dance Arts Centre in Toronto: "Did I enjoy it? There are no words to say how much I enjoyed it. It really was fabulous, fantastic, absolutely delightful." "I've never seen a dance company like it. I've seen the National Ballet, I've seen the New York City Ballet, and they dance from technique; but these people dance from the heart, from the soul. That's what I like about it." "They're so symmetrically correct, everything's beautiful. Just wonderful, I love it and I will come to every performance they ever have.... I think everybody should see this. These performances are phenomenal." |
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Swiss Property Group senior executive Richard Unwin attended the performance in Geneva. He said that the DPA performers conveyed high artistic value.... He said, "everyone in this world should see this show !" |
