The 2023 season brings Shen Yun Performing Arts to the city of Lausanne, Switzerland, on the banks of Lake Geneva. There, politicians and business elites attended performances in mid-January.
“We saw a fabulous show where the dancers were flying on the stage, it was magnificent! They presented traditional Chinese culture to us, and it made us so happy,” said Geneva councilor Daniel Sormanni.
“Artistically speaking, I think it’s wonderful! Yes, it’s a beautiful show,” said councilor Luc Barthassat. “I like the mix between the cinematic scale and the artistry of the movements, with aspects taken from the ancient martial arts of China. I found it so interesting and beautiful.”
Councilor Emmanuel Deonna said: “I was really impressed by the beauty of the performance, the images and music, the skill, agility, and expressiveness of both the male and female dancers. I really had a wonderful time.” Advertising company CEO Jean-Jacques Zaugg said: “It’s elegant, dynamic, and joyful at its core. It’s definitely the quality, the energy, the joy of living that warms the heart.”
Featuring classical Chinese dance and original orchestral music, Shen Yun draws inspiration from 5,000 years of Chinese civilization.
Derek Abell is the founding president of the European School of Management and Technology.
He said: “in German, they say ‘Gesamt Kunst’ or Total Art. That means spectacle, color, music, dancers, divine. So I took the whole show in as an idea. It is not only each thing, it is a whole. And I also really liked the solos, the soprano, the tenor, and the instrument that was wonderful, the instrument with two strings.”
The audience also appreciated the values presented by the artists.
Councilor Jean-François Chapuisat said: “ When we talk about tolerance and benevolence, these values seem so obvious but are so violated everywhere. In this show, there are values that are expressed, values that I find beautiful. And it’s also a real pleasure to take a trip into these values.”
He added: “ we’re in societies where we run. We pay very little attention to others. The show describes that with a lot of humor, where dancers run into each other while on their cellphones. But the message is so real. [Shen Yun] allows us to reconnect with ourselves and with certain values that we all share.”
Company board member Samira Layousse said: “I didn’t want to leave this show. It was really serene, serene and hopeful. I hope that one day we will be able to understand a little better everything that this show wanted to tell us.”
She explained: “especially now because there is no peace, everywhere we see wars, fanaticism. We need to see things like this to remember what is human and the Divine.”
This season, Shen Yun’s eight companies are touring more than 180 cities around the world.
NTD News, Lausanne, Switzerland
