Shen Yun ‘A Message of Hope for the Modern Man’ in Poland

BYDGOSZCZ, Poland—On the afternoon and evening of Feb. 28, Shen Yun Performing Arts Global Company staged its second and third performances at Opera Nova in Bydgoszcz. It attracted people from all walks of Poland to enjoy the performance. Tickets sold out quickly. New York-based Shen Yun artists once again touched the souls.

Shen Yun is the most renowned classical Chinese dance company in the world. “the beauty of divine beings dancing.” The February 28th performance by the dance company was a magnet for audiences. It guided them through various places in ancient China where culture was intertwined with the divine.

Shen Yun artists have as their primary objective to restore the cultural heritage of China, which has been threatened by the Chinese Communist Party since 1949.

Robert Kurowski, a private doctor and a Bydgoszcz resident, performed during the intermission. “a lover of opera music, classical music, and ballet too,” His impressions were shared.

“I must say that I have very good impressions … I’m a bit interested in Chinese culture, I even tried to learn Chinese once, the basics, although I backed off because it’s such a difficult language,” said Mr. Kurowski.

He said that the Shen Yun show is excellent. “a very interesting display of the entire Chinese culture—from religion, to spirituality, and up to dance technique. The choreography is amazing and also the combination of [certain] effects with dance and music—like the new visual methods such as the 3-D [backdrop]. It makes an incredible impression; I haven’t seen such combination before.”

“The dance itself is really world-class. There’s no doubt about it, is the absolute top-of-the-line,” He stated.

Chinese believed their culture was given by the heavens since ancient times. Any manifestation of the divine element is considered a threat by the communist regime.

“The most heart-wrenching scene is the one in modern Communist China, where they kidnap people who want to adhere to traditional [values], and a person has been killed to obtain her organs. It’s something so horrible! But [the story was] beautifully portrayed, especially the ending, which entered into a religious aspect—that [showed] that this spirituality, this goodness, comes back, and that someday … this Chinese regime will fall. It seems to me that this is the wish of all Chinese people. [It’s a desire] of all those who think more openly, and who are not … oppressed in terms of belief,” said Mr. Kurowski.

Kurowski stated that universal and timeless values such as beauty and goodness can be found in every cultural space. We just need to be open to them.

In Shen Yun’s orchestra, Western classical instruments create a background for ancient Chinese instruments—the Chinese lute pipa and the phenomenal two-stringed erhu–which lead the melody.

“The music is very interesting, because in general Chinese music is difficult for Europeans to listen to, but because this group is from New York … [the music] is more aligned with the Western culture. The music is very pleasant, nice. It’s very pleasant to listen to. But at all times you can hear elements of Chinese music. It is a combination of elements of Chinese music with music … that Europeans listen to. It is very pleasant to listen to,” Mr. Kurowski said.

‘Vastness of Expression’

The Wiwatowskis were also present at the performance, and were touched by the emotions of the artists.

“The performance is a demonstration of the spiritual side of man. First of all, I see a prayer here, and for me personally, as a Christian, this shows that God is hidden in all cultures, but cannot be embraced by any culture in its entirety … through what we humans can present [or] create. He is the Creator who gives us life and who can save our lives. That seems to me to be the message of this piece. The color, the movement, the story—for me they made a whole,” Mrs. Jadwiga Wifatowska, a retired English teacher, said:

“For me, this is the first encounter with Chinese culture. I am enchanted by the vastness of expression. There is, as my wife said, a great deal of spirituality. There is a color scheme that speaks extremely deeply to you. The dance, which was performed perfectly by the artists, evoked emotion to the point of being moved to tears,” A former probation officer, Mr. Andrzej WIWATOWSKI.

Mrs. Wiwatowski stated that the performance was a success. “the word ‘truth’ was shown in the strongest way.”

“And when one reaches the truth, then a person ceases to be afraid, is patient and friendly, does not seek [to validate] himself, does not want to fight with anyone, because he knows where he is coming from and where he is going, because he knows the truth. That, to me, is the strongest part of the moral or ethical message of the show,” She said.

Mr. Wiwatowski believed that the performance was a good example of these values. “There were many such touches that I ad hoc remembered: truth, mercy, love, hope.”

“I think the very creation of this dance group is a message of hope for this nation, but also a message of hope for the modern man. [The contemporary man] doesn’t necessarily have to be caught up in media of various kinds. I’m thinking here of multimedia, like cell phones, laptops, all sorts of things. Instead [he can focus on] values that give a person freedom. This is a very deep message. Difficult, but possible,” According to Mr. Wiwatowski

Shen Yun’s storytelling includes dance and music that combine the sounds from East and West. It also features unique effects like a patentable dynamic backdrop, costumes inspired by the five millennium tradition, and other special effects.

“I sensed typically Chinese instruments. I wondered what the instrument was. It was showed in the second part [of the show]. In the first part, I thought it was a musical saw, and then it turned out to have two strings–and that’s probably what amazed me the most regarding the fusion of these cultures. Because you could sense a musical saw here, something that we know even in our Polish culture, and all of a sudden it has two strings and [with those artist’s] graceful fingers and a good ear that can sense where and how to play,” Mrs. Wiwatowski.

Mr. Wiwatowski said, “Chinese culture resounded, but also Western culture, generally speaking. I’m always impressed by orchestras that have a lot of wind instruments. They add such an atmosphere of solemnity, such sublimity. And I think that also these instruments, in addition to those that my wife pointed out, gave the opportunity to experience more deeply those elements of history that were tragic … and at the right moment they depicted victory. I would see it that way.”

Mrs. Wiwatowski was impressed by the music and color. “I like Chinese films, where there is a lot of color, and each color means something. It’s not something that just could disappear, and it wouldn’t change anything. That’s why I really wanted to see this combination of color, movement, and music. Because this is my first time [seeing this performance].”

“I liked the Tibetan dance the most, because it reminded us a bit of our highland dance, which is also a fusion of cultures,” Mrs. Wiwatowska noted.

Conclusion of Mr. Wiwatowski “[I had an] impression of an unfathomable message from centuries ago for today. I, for one, think that according to Shen Yun’s intention, one should wish the Chinese people a sense of truth.”

Reporting by Miranda Tsai, Agnieszka Iwaszkiewicz. Translated by Mikołaj Jaroszewicz.

The Epoch Times Sponsor of proudly Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions Since Shen Yun was founded in 2006.