Shen Yun is inspiring Dutch audience members on its world tour.
Lieutenant Colonel Anita Prins was with her husband at the show in the northern Dutch city of Groningen.
“Very special, it’s a piece of culture, It is different from what we are used to,” she said. “[The message that] all living things are important and not just people. This came out clearly for me. Tradition is very important, that’s what became evident during the dances. And it should not be forgotten, that’s how it came across to me.”
Her husband Richard Schulte agreed: “Going back to nature, peace, and purity, these are the messages woven throughout the whole performance.”
Shen Yun Performing Arts is dedicated to reviving China’s 5,000-year-old traditional culture. Through story-based dance and music, its artists tell the tales of ancient times to the present.
Richard Schulte said: “I find it beautiful that this is preserved. We [in the Netherlands] are missing that a bit. Foreigners are always very proud of their country, and we Dutch people almost don’t have that. So I think it’s great that they are trying to bring that to light. It’s beautiful that they show it.”
Lt. Col. Anita Prins said: “The realization that we are all living on one earth, but that we are not all the same, and so we have to have understanding for each other.”
Professor Eric Martin drove three hours to see the show. He said it was worth the trip.
“And it’s a very enjoyable evening. It gives you energy but also peace. A kind of fulfilled feeling that my expectations are met and this is what I came for, and that’s a good feeling, a bit of happiness through music and dance.”
He described the show as both enjoyable and inspiring.
“I found it to be great, shining, inspiring, colorful, and especially the modern [technological] possibilities. It was very nicely combined with the traditional dance on stage. It was impressive. There was a real effort to make it flow very nicely, from the moment the curtain goes up on the scenes and vice versa. I really loved that.”
He added: “Especially the music, it takes you right into the traditional tones of the East and brings you into the atmosphere. Then you see very colorful palettes from the dancers. It takes you right in! That was a very beautiful experience. It feels like a warm coat. You come here with a certain idea that you’re going to experience traditional Chinese dance and music and that was immediately confirmed right when the first curtain went up. This is going to be a very nice evening.”
NTD News, Groningen, Netherlands
