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Shen Yun Performing Arts (simplified Chinese: 神韵艺术团; traditional Chinese: 神韻藝術團; pinyin: shén yùn yì shù tuán), formerly known as Divine Performing Arts, is a Falun Gong-affiliated arts and entertainment company based in New York City. It was founded in 2006.

According to the company's mission statement, it is an art and entertainment group "independent of China’s communist regime" and "seeks to revive the true, five-millennia-old artistic tradition of China that thrived before decades of suppression by the Chinese communist state." .

Artist Content and Performers

Shen Yun Performing Arts show mainly dances and vocals. The source of inspiration for the ensemble is the traditional chinese culture and the artists try to perform these classical and folk Chinese dances.

The artists are trained in traditional Chinese dancing. Through these dance techniques, the company aims to revive Chinese culture with its ideals like respect for heaven, moral, goodness, beauty and harmony on stage.

The vocal solists of Shen Yun are singer from the highest niveau which appeared on most famous stages of the world. The orchestra of Shen Yun is western in which traditional Chinese instruments are included. The musicians are former members of famous symphony orchestra of Chinese-Americans and also artists from mainland China and Taiwan.

Classical Chinese Dance

Classical Chinese Dance is a unique dance-technique. In early times it was common at the old operas and at the imperial palace. Through development and practice by various artists at various times the dance developed to that what it is: the classical Chinese dance. This dance is an overdelivery and continuation of the 5000 years old, divinely inspired Chinese culture.

The Chinese dance is an extensive system with strict training units of basic skills, body rhythimic and body techniques which includes jumps, turns and salti. It is a huge dance system with very expressive dance styles. Because of that the Chinese dance is able to portray many various characters and individual human adjectives and express various legends from different times and nations.

Critical Reception

Reception has been mixed to Shen Yun Performing Arts. Initially the shows were titled "Chinese Spectacular", "Holiday Wonders", and "Shen Yun", but now the company mostly performs under its own name. Each year the Shen Yun Performing Arts show tours several countries, performing across Europe, North America, Oceania, and Asia. Shen Yun's shows have been staged in several leading stages, including New York’s Radio City Music Hall, London’s Royal Festival Hall, Washington DC’s Kennedy Center, and Paris’ Le Palais de Congrès and have drawn praise from varied sources.

The shows have also been described as "propaganda" for the spiritual group Falun Gong. Most of the performers practice the discipline, and the show has been criticized by The Guardian for placing too much emphasis on Falun Gong, apparently contravening their stated mission to preserve the heritage of classical China. Additionally, The Guardian also criticized it as "a horribly Disneyfied version of the traditional Chinese culture," and "tainted by the political baggage that they carry".

External links

• http://www.ShenYunPerformingArts.org/ Official site

References

1. Statement of Mission: Divine Performing Arts
2. ^ http://www.divineshows.com
3. James D. Watt, Chinese Performing Arts simply divine.
4. "History / Shen Yun Performing Arts". Retrieved 2009-04-01.
5. "Shen Yun: Propaganda as entertainment". Retrieved 2009-04-01.
6. ^ "Dance review: Shen Yun". Retrieved 2009-04-01.

• Entertainment companies of the United States
• Companies based in New York
• Companies established in 2006