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The University News

The Student News Site of Saint Louis University

The University News

The Student News Site of Saint Louis University

The University News

Chinese ballet celebrates 5,000 years of history

On the weekend of April 19, the Shen Yun ballet came to the Peabody Theatre and took audiences through 5,000 years of Chinese history.

Shen Yun is a performing company that travels the world to spread knowledge about Chinese culture, history and classical dance. Every year they put together an entirely new performance. The company boasts hundreds of members that perform in this traveling troupe. With intricate costumes and rhythmic dances, Shen Yun sells out shows and wows audiences.

Aside from the eye-catching presence of the dancers, the show also included a large screen in the background of the stage that allowed viewers to get both an animated and live feel during the performance. The dancers often utilized the screen to seemingly jump off of the stage and into the sky, which truly brought another dimension to the performance.

“It was a great representation of classical Chinese ballet. I was on the edge of my seat while listening to the music and watching the movement of the dancers,” sophomore Molly Woodson said.

She greatly enjoyed all of the numbers and described the show as “very intriguing and exciting.”

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While dancing is a major component of the two-hour show, gymnastics also play a role in the production. Dancers frequently flip across the stage and incorporate gymnastic moves into their numbers. The hosts were quick to point out that although some may think that the Chinese have borrowed these moves from other cultures or genres, gymnastics can actually be traced back to its beginning in Chinese traditional dance.

The show incorporated diversity and showcased folk and traditional dances from different ethnic groups across China. Each dance is unique to the people that dance it, and the variety creates an engaging performance. In addition to traditional dances, many numbers told some sort of story with their movement. These ranged from religious to humorous with everything from a depiction of a drunk man dreaming of being visited by maidens to crime-fighting monks.

The show at Peabody was part of Shen Yun’s seventh worldwide tour, during which they will make 300 stops before the end of the year. Shen Yun will be performing at grand venues such as New York’s Lincoln Center.

One stop that Shen Yun will not be making is anywhere in China. Shen Yun’s performances are actually banned in the country due to show’s criticism of the government and its inclusion of the Buddhist faith.

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