“Captivated”, “overwhelmed”, “full of admiration” – these were the feelings shared by many veteran Vietnamese artists after spending time learning about one of the world’s finest performing arts companies – Shen Yun Performing Arts
As part of a series of events organized by Viet My Traditional Culture Company with the permission of the Shen Yun office in New York, the tea party on the evening of February 25 at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hotel introducing Shen Yun Performing Arts and the Shen Yun 2019 World Tour brought together the finest talents and masters of Vietnamese dance and the arts.
Captivated, overwhelmed and full of admiration for Shen Yun
(Photo: Shen Yun Performing Arts)
In a warm, elegant setting and the friendly atmosphere of early spring, veteran artists of Vietnamese dance and the arts happily gathered and experienced uplifting moments of art, sharing moving words about the pinnacle of performing arts that is Shen Yun:
Artists happily gathered at the event introducing Shen Yun Performing Arts. From left: choreographer and People’s Artist Ha Thi Kim Chung, People’s Artist Vu Tu Long, choreographer and Meritorious Artist Ho Mai Anh (Photo: Viet My Traditional Culture Company)
The warm, elegant setting of the hotel where the tea party about Shen Yun Performing Arts took place (Photo: Viet My Traditional Culture Company)
The lobby welcoming guests to the event introducing Shen Yun Performing Arts (Photo: Viet My Traditional Culture Company)
Artists happily reunite in early spring to learn about Shen Yun… (Photo: Viet My Traditional Culture Company)
The reception table displaying Shen Yun’s elegant and refined souvenirs (Photo: Viet My Traditional Culture Company)
The reception hall with magnificent pictures of Shen Yun Performing Arts (Photo: Viet My Traditional Culture Company)
Fresh flowers to welcome guests… (Photo: Viet My Traditional Culture Company)
Renowned artists of the art world gathered (Photo: Viet My Traditional Culture Company)
People’s Artist Chu Thuy Quynh, President of the Vietnam Dance Artists’ Association, was deeply moved at the program. She shared that since the age of 14 she had watched classical Chinese dance and loved it, so today’s images of Shen Yun Performing Arts brought back to life what she had long missed and yearned for but seemed to have no one to share with:
Admiring the heavenly dancing on the screen, the magnificent, vivid backdrops and the dancers’ beautiful costumes, and listening to the two MCs tell the moving stories that inspired Shen Yun’s dances, the guests were uplifted by pure artistic emotion in just the short span of the tea party.
The MCs take the audience into ancient tales that inspired Shen Yun’s pieces (Photo: Viet My Traditional Culture Company)
They felt as if they had been carried back to the distant past, to the vast grasslands of Inner Mongolia or the solemn yet compassionate atmosphere of a magnificent heavenly realm with celestial maidens in splendid robes, through the excerpts introducing Shen Yun… Inspired by traditional culture, with stories and plots revolving around values such as benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and faithfulness, Shen Yun premieres entirely new works every year.
Mother and daughter Meritorious Artist Le Mai and dancer and film actress Meritorious Artist Le Van also attended the program. They were moved to meet longtime colleagues at the tea party and impressed by the overwhelming beauty of Shen Yun:
Indeed, Shen Yun has been moving the hearts of the most demanding audiences, including leading experts in the arts. With nearly 600 performances a year and 6 companies touring the world, Shen Yun has become a global artistic phenomenon. Wherever it goes, Shen Yun brings viewers optimism and love of life, uplifting them for a moment and taking them away from life’s many worries.
The veteran film-director couple regarded as Vietnam’s “power” artist family, People’s Artist Nguyen Thanh Van and his wife People’s Artist Pham Nhue Giang, shared:
Through the universal language of dance and music – with very high standards – Shen Yun takes audiences on a journey to rediscover the cultural essence passed down from ancient times, uplifting them with emotion and with the memory of something deep in the past.
Choreographer and People’s Artist Ha Thi Kim Chung shared, deeply moved and thoughtful:
Ms. Pham Thi Thu Hoai, an employee of Dai-ichi Life Vietnam, shared with emotion:
Traditional culture and Shen Yun’s music contain 5,000 years of Chinese history, full of heroic epics, timeless literary tales and mystical folk traditions that have created a world of gods and miracles. Shen Yun creates short dance dramas about heroes battling demons, flying to faraway heavens and diving into deep underwater palaces, with many moments of courage and humor; these stories embody the morality and wisdom of ancient China.
The profound inner meaning of traditional culture is brought back to life on Shen Yun’s stage with deeply humane messages that move people and touch the depths of every viewer’s soul.
(Photo: Viet My Traditional Culture Company)
Artist Bui The Vinh, former Editor-in-Chief of the Vietnam Cinema and Theatre newspaper and Director of the Vietnam Film Center for Sports and Tourism, was “enchanted” when experiencing the wonderful sounds of Shen Yun:
Rekindling faith in genuine artistic work
Not only were they amazed by Shen Yun’s beauty, but for the experts of the Vietnamese art world, Shen Yun also awakened and rekindled their faith in genuine artistic work that is serious and responsible toward future generations…
The renowned theorist Bui Dinh Phien marveled and called Shen Yun “the greatest lesson” for those who do “serious” artistic work:
Artist Mai Hien, a retired dan bau player of the Air Defence – Air Force Art Troupe, with the responsibility of a professional, felt deep respect and admiration for Shen Yun’s artists:
People’s Artist Tu Long, Deputy Director of the Military Cheo Theatre, was even moved to tears, and exclaimed when interviewed by a reporter:
Indeed, what comes from the heart will touch the heart…
Admiring and learning from the way Shen Yun preserves and restores traditional culture: “Go to the very depths of a nation’s culture, and you will meet all of humanity”
(Photo: Shen Yun Performing Arts)
The tea party introduced the foundations of Shen Yun Performing Arts’ success: classical Chinese dance and its unique music, which combines Eastern and Western instruments in a distinctive way. And Shen Yun’s core value is its mission of restoring 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture, which is also the shared heritage of humanity.
Vice President of the Vietnam Dance Artists’ Association, People’s Artist Ung Duy Thinh, was very impressed by this and affirmed:
Film director and People’s Artist Nguyen Thanh Van, who already has a ticket to see Shen Yun in Taiwan this coming April, admired Shen Yun’s “unmistakable voice”: “A very mysterious beauty that brings a living world; they have a place all their own and raise an unmistakable voice.“
“Respect”, “admiration”, “deep esteem”, “awe”… – the renowned artists of the Vietnamese art world seemed to use up every fine word to describe their sincere feelings about Shen Yun:
Choreographer and People’s Artist Ha Thi Kim Chung affirmed: “Only true talent can express such a difficult art form”:
Indeed, ancient China had an immense and rich cultural foundation and tradition. With a spiritual life of thousands of years of belief in Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism, people revered the gods and Buddhas, lived kindly and upheld moral values. Through dance and music at their highest level, Shen Yun conveys in the most excellent and perfect way the life of human beings in their relationship with heaven, earth and the divine, with the values of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and faithfulness throughout history. That is why classical Chinese dance is likened to a gift from heaven that all genuine artists want to preserve.
(Photo: Shen Yun Performing Arts)
Being responsible to future generations is what Vu Thi Mai, a lecturer at the Vietnam National Academy of Music, felt when thinking about Shen Yun’s restoration of traditional culture:
Admiring the talent, inner beauty and moral values that Shen Yun’s artists cultivate
From a single company in 2006, Shen Yun has grown to 6 companies that tour the world every year, with nearly 600 performances in more than 150 cities. This requires painstaking investment not only in the artistic content but also in a philosophy of nurturing and training people – dancers, choreographers, composers, musicians, costume designers, backdrop designers… all need to reach the same standard of traditional aesthetics.
It is an ecosystem that Shen Yun has created, through which it cultivates, nurtures and develops artistic talent. In that ecosystem, the artists breathe, interact and train in a pure environment, so that when they step onto the stage, traditional values radiate naturally. Truly, only what radiates from the heart can make audiences resonate and inspire them so much. It is not “acting” – it is truly who they are.
Meritorious Artist Tran Ly Ly, Director of the Vietnam Opera and Ballet Theatre, drew the core lesson for “artists” after experiencing the introduction of Shen Yun:
Indeed, with classical Chinese dance as its core foundation, Shen Yun not only has high demands for technique and movement but also cultivates inner beauty and moral values as an essential part of training its dancers.
Every artist of Shen Yun Performing Arts understands their noble mission. That is why they constantly refine both their technique and their character. The dancers’ movements are not only technically masterful but also convey a pure inner beauty. This is the fundamental difference that gives Shen Yun its peak value.
(Photo: Shen Yun Performing Arts)
M.A. and Meritorious Teacher Trinh Quoc Minh – who works at Nhip Dieu Magazine of the Vietnam Dance Artists’ Association – exclaimed:
People’s Artist Ung Duy Thinh admired the pure and beautiful inner expressiveness of Shen Yun’s artists:
“Shen Yun’s success lies in having trained a company of performers beyond reproach.” Shared by People’s Artist Ha Thi Kim Chung, choreographer:
The hustle and bustle of modern life makes people easily forget traditional cultural values. But deep in everyone’s heart, there is always a wish to return to beautiful ancient values. The words of the renowned artists of the Vietnamese art world have shown us that.
Shen Yun has truly “stirred” everyone’s subconscious, as Swiss-Vietnamese artist Lan Tschirky shared at the tea party, prompting them to seek out traditional values, virtue and faith. Everything performed in Shen Yun is the pure and bright essence of ancient Eastern culture, which is why, in just a few short hours, it suddenly filled the emptiness in many artists’ souls and awakened them.
The 2019 World Tour: “If Shen Yun comes to Vietnam, I will be the first to buy a ticket!”
Representatives of the organizers posing for souvenir photos with the artists at the program
Immersed in the wonderful music and dance of Shen Yun, “moved”, “wonderful” and “I want to go and see it right away” were the feelings shared by many guests when they heard about Shen Yun’s 2019 world tour.
People’s Artist Chu Thuy Quynh thanked and congratulated the organizers:
Choreographer and People’s Artist Ha Thi Kim Chung and choreographer and Meritorious Artist Ho Mai Anh affirmed that if Shen Yun comes to Vietnam, they will always support it and are also “fans” of Shen Yun:
Asked whether he would go if Shen Yun came to Vietnam, M.A. and Meritorious Teacher Trinh Quoc Minh – who works at Nhip Dieu Magazine of the Vietnam Dance Artists’ Association – replied: “Of course. Not only my family and I, but if my dance academy could see something like this, they would be very excited.”
Ms. Pham Thi Minh – Senior Sales Manager at Dai-ichi Life Vietnam – exclaimed:
Indeed, as People’s Artist Tu Long shared, many Vietnamese artists said: “If Shen Yun comes to Vietnam, I will be the first to buy a ticket”:
“Seeing it live is what we wish for most”, shared Mr. Nguyen The Chien, Meritorious Artist of dance, member of the Executive Committee of the Hanoi Union of Literature and Arts Associations and Vice President of the Hanoi Dance Artists’ Association.
People’s Artist Ung Duy Thinh repeated the words of the Vice President of Fei Tian Academy of the Arts as his most heartfelt conclusion:
Indeed, as Fei Tian Academy of the Arts Vice President H. Sue Guo once shared, Shen Yun’s artists see restoring, preserving and sharing traditional culture as their life’s mission. It may take many years to accomplish, but art is passion and devotion from heart to heart. That is perhaps the core value that has brought Shen Yun its success today.
The Shen Yun 2019 world tour schedule is available at: https://vi.shenyun.com/tickets?sy=1
More photos from the event:
The guestbook table where guests shared their impressions of Shen Yun Performing Arts (Photo: Viet My Traditional Culture Company)
The teams busy preparing to welcome distinguished guests to the tea party… (Photo: Viet My Traditional Culture Company)
The happy smiles of distinguished guests… (Photo: Viet My Traditional Culture Company)
Flowers and smiles… (Photo: Viet My Traditional Culture Company)
Welcoming guests at the event reception area (Photo: Viet My Traditional Culture Company)
Guests learning about Shen Yun’s exquisite souvenirs (Photo: Viet My Traditional Culture Company)
Shen Yun’s exquisite souvenirs, famous around the world (Photo: Viet My Traditional Culture Company)
A Shen Yun silk scarf printed with one of Shen Yun’s famous dances: Mongolian Bowls (Photo: Viet My Traditional Culture Company)
Shen Yun’s exquisite, high-class souvenirs (Photo: Viet My Traditional Culture Company)
Inside the event hall (Photo: Viet My Traditional Culture Company)
Soprano Thanh Quy and pianist Duong Hong Thach presenting a beautiful aria to the program (Photo: Viet My Traditional Culture Company)
Presenting flowers to the artists (Photo: Viet My Traditional Culture Company)
The happy smiles of the guests… (Photo: Viet My Traditional Culture Company)
Viet My Traditional Culture Company
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