By Chloe McDermott '24
Shen Yun, a highly advertised Chinese dance company and performance, consists of more than just a performance. Posters for Shen Yun lie in the windows of businesses, on subways, on stoops, in mailboxes, and maybe you’ve even been handed a pamphlet. Regardless of how you learned of the dance company, you recognize the elegantly leaping woman in traditional Chinese clothing, the pastel background, and the letters that spell out “SHEN YUN” in a large print. The show, designed to be an escape to “China before communism,” aspires to wash away society’s materialistic desire and fulfillment with the development of technology and machinery. Founded by a group of skilled Chinese artists in 2006, the show’s initial mission was to revive 5,000 years of their country’s beautiful culture. Shen Yun claims to want to bring “classic values” back to the audience. While the company’s goal of appreciating culture is valid, the way the organization has expressed its intent is highly questionable. As it turns out, the two-hour show, with grossly overpriced tickets, isn’t just the beautiful dance that the advertisements depict.
Guided by the values of Falun Dafa, a small religion, Shen Yun looks to “reclaim the essence of humanity's artistic achievement through the unique presentation of classical Chinese dance accompanied by a symphony orchestra and the pinnacle of opera.” Falun Dafa, due to its theological and moral teachings, expresses concern for spiritual cultivation and transformation. The religion has an extensive body of scripture, with ideas incorporated into the Shen Yun dance. Falun Dafa and its followers were out-ruled and exiled by the Communist Chinese Party in 1999 to maintain the state of atheism through their anti-religious campaign. The group strongly opposes China's ruling party and founded the Shen Yun dance in hopes of promoting their religion. Shen Yun is essentially an extremely elaborate advertisement for Falun Dafa. Some have gone as far as to call Falun Dafa a cult, and associate Shen Yun with that idea. This “cult” notion is a feature of Chinese propaganda against the organization. The Chinese embassy in the United States published multiple statements bashing Falun Dafa and Li Hongzhi (founder of Falun Dafa), and Shen Yun.
Shen Yun dancers train at the refuge for Falun Dafa adherents in upstate New York. Each spring, Shen Yun posters pop up everywhere to gain traction for the following season in which the company tours across the US. Shen Yun advertises and funds the Fei Tian Academy of the arts, at the Falun Gong headquarters. To maintain profits, the dancers are both paid and unpaid; it’s presumed that some dance in the show as a part of Fei Tian Academy and some may not be affiliated with the academy and the religion. In 2016, they made $22.5 million in revenue, and spent only $7.3 million, proving the company to be successful and quite profitable.
The dance itself is very creative; it portrays stunning performances and receives positive reviews. One anonymous review said, “I find this show to be a truly remarkable production… How do they do it?... I am always left with a great sense of hope for not only China but all of humanity after seeing Shen Yun. I say it's a must-see show.” The show has repeat customers who encourage their friends and family to see it, swearing it’s the best they’ve seen.
Despite rave reviews, the contents of the dance remain questionable. The Shen Yun performance is to express the evils of China’s Communist party and their beliefs, but they extend their teachings to promote sectarian doctrines and negative views toward evolution, atheism, and homosexuality. Throughout the performance they have people repeat phrases that translate to, “I love Shen Yun,” over and over. There is a scene towards the end of the show in which Chairman Mao, who ruled as Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party from the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949 to his death in 1976, appears and the scene is destroyed by an earthquake, followed by a Communist tsunami, expressing the idea that communism consumed China and rid it of its “divine” culture. The performance then ends with a segment demonstrating values that are deeply rooted in homophobia, anti-evolution, and anti-development. One audience member said “...we listened to a song that Darwin theory leads people to nowhere and Falun Dafa is the right answer to how to live life. In the end, we were shown banners that Falun Dafa is good. I think the Shen Yun performance should be categorized as a religious event that preaches about Falun Dafa. If we knew about it we would not go.”
Beneath the glossy flyers and vibrant posters of Shen Yun lies shady intent. Before you rush over to the box office for Shen Yun’s next performance, consider the homophobic, anti-evolution, and anti-development sentiments the dance company places upon its audience.
Sources:
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/dec/12/shen-yun-falun-gong-traditional-chinese-dance-troupe-china-doesnt-want-you-to-see
https://thebl.com/culture/shen-yun-reclaims-humanitys-lost-heritage.html
https://www.boston-theater.com/theaters/wang-theater/shen-yun-performing-arts-customer-reviews.php?r=a&page=all
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/stepping-into-the-uncanny-unsettling-world-of-shen-yun
https://www.insider.com/shen-yun-show-falun-gong-2019-3
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