Shen Yun is More Beautiful Than You Think (Shen Yun đẹp hơn bạn tưởng)

This is not an ordinary performing arts company. It is Shen Yun Performing Arts, founded in New York, captivating tens of millions of people around the world with its classical Chinese dance. It was spectacular, so beautiful. Gosh, I thought I was going to heaven. Oh, it was electric. I'm getting chills talking about it. It gets a 10 from me, that's for sure. It was that good. Absolutely marvelous. Hands down the best show I've ever seen. So what is classical Chinese dance exactly? It is a tradition that has been refined over thousands of years through various dynasties, evolving into a complete and intricate dance system. Curious about the difference between Shen Yun's style and other Chinese dance forms? Today, many Chinese dance styles incorporate elements of military or modern dance, which are quite different from Shen Yun's style. Shen Yun maintains the purity of classical Chinese dance. When you watch Shen Yun, what do you see? Some compare it to gymnastics, some notice elements of ballet, and others see similarities with Chinese martial arts. And the expertise of the dancers was really, really strong. The men, when they jump, they just pop right off the stage. So athletic and so flexible. The ladies, how they moved was just, they were just floating on air, and that was really special to see. The level of dance there, their acrobatic, you know, movements that they're doing, they're so light on their feet. So, is classical Chinese dance a form of gymnastics? And are classical Chinese dancers gymnasts? No. Okay, you might have that question, because there's a lot of flipping and tumbling techniques in the shows. But these techniques are actually all originated from classical Chinese dance. In 1970s, some Chinese gymnasts present these techniques during the international competitions, and other art forms start, like, adopting these movements. So, these movements actually have thousands of years of history. And the next time you watch a performance, know it's classical Chinese dance movements, not gymnastics. But I would say the biggest difference between something like gymnastics and classical Chinese dance is that, through these classical Chinese dance movements, you're portraying an inner meaning or a message, right? So it's not just doing a move where you raise your legs, where you, like, open up your arms and body. You have to be portraying a message, and every single movement has to have inner feeling. That is also one of the most unique characteristics of classical Chinese dance. That is its expressiveness. That's why performers can portray any type of characters with classical Chinese dance movements. I kept saying it just brought me back to my classical ballet days, but I could never do what they do up there. So, how do you think classical ballet compares to Shen Yun's dance? Shen Yun audiences often think of classical ballet when they see the performance. Both are comprehensive athletic art forms, but they have distinct differences. One of the most noticeable differences is in the spins. In ballet, spins are done vertically with the body perfectly upright. In classical Chinese dance, spins can involve leaning forward, tilting upward, or twisting backward, allowing spins to happen on multiple planes. Another distinct move to classical Chinese dance is the flips, which do not exist in ballet. It's really interesting to see the combination of tumbling, acrobatics, martial arts-type movements incorporated into the choreography. So, it's very different from what we do in Australian ballet, but it's very entertaining. Ballet and classical Chinese dance have unique cultural roots that shape their styles. Ballet from the West focuses on linear and precise movements, much like how, in Western culture, one might approach someone directly. Classical Chinese dance, rooted in Eastern traditions, emphasizes circular, flowing movements without pauses, reflecting the more roundabout way people interact in traditional Eastern culture. I love it. I love a good technical performance. I also liked how much morality is brought into the performance. It's very elegant, and it's different from a lot of the modern companies and things that are going on today, so it's really nice. Just the perfection. And I've seen the Bolshoi ballet, and I've seen the Kirov ballet, and I've toured all over the country and the world and seen some of the very best, and this was right up there with the very, very best. Classical Chinese dance also has a special relationship with martial arts, also known as wushu in Chinese. When wushu emerged thousands of years ago, its flips and techniques influenced other art forms, including Chinese opera and dance. The same martial arts moves they use on the battlefield became dance moves. For example, avoiding a spear became a backflip in dance. Defending against multiple attacks turned into the sweeping turn. The move flying swallow involves leaning back to dodge an enemy's weapon while simultaneously striking the enemy's face. It's not that martial arts evolved into dance, but rather the same techniques used for fighting became dance when used peacefully. Ever wondered about the technique of the body leads the arms, the hips lead the legs in classical Chinese dance? So that's a technique that was almost lost, but Mr. DF taught it to us, and it's something that we're striving to revive right now. And the Chinese name is sheng dai shou and kua dai tui. So sheng dai shou would be the body leads the hands. So for every single move involving the upper body, you want to move your body first before your arms. And what this does is, let me give you an example. If I wanted to reach for you, if I just use my arms like this, it's kind of short. But if I use my body to reach you, or if you try to reach me, it's a lot longer. So our movements are elongated. So on stage, what you'll see is the dancers' movements, their poses are elongated, and their expressiveness is also amplified. Not only are the techniques unique, but classical Chinese dance is also renowned for its storytelling. Shen Yun performances feature many dramas that vividly depict stories from China's past, embodying virtues and morals still relevant today. I think it's magnificent. It's magnificent to see another part of Chinese culture that a lot of people don't get to see. And the stories are amazing. The execution of the dance is amazing, searing the history that so much of gymnastics begins in China thousands of years ago. All this is beautiful. It's sad to see when culture in any part of the world gets squashed. But I think this is beautiful because it's keeping it alive and it's sharing it with the world. And by keeping things alive and seeing the beauty of this, I think it makes sure that the culture continues. I think that's absolutely beautiful. When people are holed up at home and they don't know what the future's like, it's nice to have a perspective of 5,000 years of dance and music to change your perspective and give you a different frame of reference. It's been very enlightening and it's beautiful. The music's gorgeous. So I highly recommend it to anyone. Shen Yun has announced its 2025 World Tour, set to begin this December. Tickets are now available at shenyun.com slash tickets.