A performance which promises to take the audience to “The Land of the Divine” is certain to be heavenly.
Brightly coloured costumes and a magical set, along with military precision dancing set the bar high and the audience at Glasgow’s SECC Armadillo lapped it all up.
New York based Shen Yun is a performing arts company with an ambitious mission, to revive Chinese culture and celebrate it with the world.
The result is a slick, powerful show led by artistic director, DF, who has run the 500 strong company since its beginnings in 2006.
His work is true to the spirit of China’s 5,000 year old culture and the audience is treated to classical Chinese dance, which is an incredibly athletic and expressive dance form, preserved through folk traditions, imperial court performances and ancient theatre.
Dances built on traditional aesthetics have greatly influenced other art forms, with modern ballet and gymnastics incorporated with elements of Chinese dance.
A gong signals the start of the show and as the curtain rises, dancers in brightly coloured and flowing costumes perform a series of unconnected Chinese acts which jump from region to region and story to story.
Brief episodes include from the classic tale, The Monkey King and dances from Mongolia and Tibet, all presented with impressive athleticism and precision in front of a projected backdrop which zoom through animated images straight from a video game.
Between each dance, two masters of ceremonies bounce onto stage to introduce and explain the up and coming acts, which start from “To Begin a New Era” and run right through to “Salvation”, with two hours of brilliance.
Music is provided by a black tie orchestra who combine classical Western and Chinese instruments, with ancient beauties such as the two-stringed erhu and the plucked pipa especially dazzling.
Written specifically for the performances, the music draws on China’s rich history and ancient Chinese melodies and together the harmonious blend of traditional Eastern tunes with Western orchestration clearly enraptures the audience.
Intertwined with traditional costumes which help breathe fresh life into every dance piece, painting the present with the splendour of the past are traditional stage craft and digital projection which extends the realms and gives the storytelling a new dimension, together with lots of surprises.
It’s a fascinating insight into ancient and modern Chinese culture; all delivered with real panache.
Tickets are available for Shen Yun at Edinburgh Playhouse from 10th to 11th February, before moving to Venue Cymru, Llandudno from 14th to 15 February, Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent from 17th to 18th February, Wycombe Swan Theatre from 21st February to 1st March and Swansea Building Society Arena from 24th to 26 March 2026. For more information on performances and ticket availability, please visit: www.shenyun.com.
Author Bio:
Rebecca Hay is an experienced travel writer and member of The British Guild of Travel Writers. Follow her adventures with her family on Twitter and Instagram @emojiadventurer and on Facebook via EmojiAdventurers2.
Photographs courtesy of Shen Yun Performing Arts
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