The Driftless Area Magazine kindly invited me to attend “Shen Yun, a touring Chinese Dance Program & celebration of cultural heritage.” They also note just below the title on their posters and website, this is “China Before Communism.” The troupe, their promotional material, and performance are very much wistful, colorful, and romantic – very much not political. The show took place on Tuesday, February 4th, 2020, at the Overture Center for the Performing Arts, Madison Wisconsin. The program length was around 2 hours & 45 min – with 15-minute intermission.
If you live in the Driftless Area, you are probably well aware that Madison sits on the outskirts of its boundaries, by something like three miles. And as with the Twin Cities and Rochester in Minnesota, Madison – Wisconsin’s capital city – perches like a borderland kingdom that average folks road trip to for big deal occasions, such as sporting events, rock concerts, hospitals higher than two stories, and airports that connect to somewhere. I joke. But I’m putting myself in the mindset of a feudal society where farmers take their wares, by beast and cart, to the nearest province capital and sell their goods at market. And then if they’re lucky, get to see some street performers.
The dance program at the *Overture Center for the Arts on Feb 4th had the unfortunate luck of happening as the Covid 19 Virus was just blowing up in China. While our nation’s official response was sluggish, both culturally and within mass media, the news of creeping unease was palpable. I don’t envy the Shen Yun Dance Troupe’s circumstances during those days. Surely, Madison (then Milwaukee later in the week) were the last stops on a tour that was subsequently cancelled. This performance was one of the last ones. I have to believe that worrying assumptions were made concerning the Shen Yun crew. This is also unfortunate because, as the program’s MC’s made clear during the introduction before the curtain went up, even though the performing dancers were all of Asian heritage, their home base is not Mainland China. It is, in fact, New York City. Their touring company consists of six different, rotating troupes. For example, as our troupe put on their February Wisconsin shows, they had a troupe in Germany, one in Rio, and three in rehearsals. Kind of like a less-ostentatious Cirque du Soleil. According to the Shen Yun press and program, they produce a new show every year with new music and new moves. At least, that was the plan until recent events.
The program itself was a ballet! Yes, but it was also impressive, gymnastic floor routines, and beautiful costumes. The women wore traditional, colorful, flowing sleeves and spun ribbons. The men did running flips and spins. All of it was impressive like watching gymnastic athletes stick-the-landing during competitive routines. The colors were big and primary; bright but not garish. Come to think of it, they were colorful in an Easter Basket kind-of-way. Each rise of the curtain preceded a little gasp of anticipation for what was about to hit your eyeballs.
Here’s how the show differs from regular old ballet: the night was segmented into eighteen (or thereabouts) skits that varied in length from six to twelve minutes. The MC’s—a man and woman—introduced each skit in both English and Mandarin. Of the pair, the gentleman wore a tux and was clearly an American who spoke Chinese. His co-host was a woman dressed in an elegant traditional Chinese gown and clearly was a woman of Asian heritage who had learned to speak English. They took turns introducing each act and the curtain went up and came down between each mini-program.
The company varied the tones of each presentation. Traditional, historical dance was followed by a comedy skit (yes, they have those!) followed by a modern interpreted depiction of China, only then to be followed by a centuries-old fairy tale. For example, the male members of the troupe were highlighted in a Mongolian Horse Rider skit, while earlier, all the women members of the troupe performed a precisely synchronized fan-dance. One act even centered around a drunken poet and his encounter with moon-fairies. All of it was highly entertaining and the audience applauded heartily. The company tours with a full and uniquely staffed orchestra—unique in that it contains a mash-up of traditional European and old-school Asian instruments. This combo of violins, zithers, and musicians are not currently used in this configuration anywhere else on tour – on Planet Earth. China has a three-thousand-year history, so they have plenty of material to draw from. These skits presented the country’s varying eras in ways both reverent and unflinching; joyful and bittersweet; knowing and fantastical.
The Overture* itself, for those who have yet to see it, is a newer building, and has parking garage spaces across the street. Patrons need only walk a block or less—right across and near the top of Madison’s famed State Street. The interior lobby is glass-walled and high-ceilinged up to three and four floors high, as one might expect from a concert hall. There are side hallways adorned with paintings giving these areas an art-gallery feel. They serve wine and bottled beer in the lobby. Shen Yun had a swag and merchandise table, and also a video interview spot for customers who wanted to leave a testimonial clip for the company’s web site. They know and are confident that their show leaves a positive impression!
The interior of the theater* is expansive and well ventilated. The stage is big, “Ultra-Screen” size to compare it to movie theaters. The seats were comfortably sized. (Yours truly sports an XL Wisconsin-sized backside, so I appreciate comfortable seating. I didn’t crowd my neighbor, in other words.) Speaking of movie screens, the Shen Yun troupe uses a projection screen backdrop for colorful and creative effect. “Trippy,” I would even call it, in certain skits.
In fact, Shen Yun makes use of a “Jumbo Tron” style screen on stage, much like many classic rock bands use. Pink Floyd and such. Rather than above the group, juxtaposing videos with rock music, this screen is incorporated with the dancing – ground-level. The screen is floor to ceiling and as wide as the stage. According to the tour’s printed programme, the company built and patented the screen and projection design exclusively for the Shen Yun touring group. It was used from time-to-time to display translated dialogue and scene transitions such as “Later that evening in the King’s Palace…” The screen showed images of starry skies, moonlit clouds, giant castles, and fields of cherry blossom trees as each mini-performance required. At times the dancers appeared from within the projection.
After it was over, I felt I had seen a kind of hybrid of traditional dance, modern dance, athleticism, vaudeville, and silent movies. Thieves, warlords, battle scenes, and wizards all made an appearance. I felt, as a viewer, the switch in concentration one feels when watching silent movies – or movie sequences with no dialogue – where you become hyper-aware of body language and movement. The live performance dynamic is, as always, a thrill. It’s an older art form, a bit of a time-travel, but fascinating, nonetheless. As a fan of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and “Hero” among other medieval China-set movies, I hope someday Shen Yun puts out a soundtrack album.
I look forward to seeing shows here at the Overture Center* in the future, even Shen Yun, should they make a return. (*They do return to the Driftless, see below.) Afterwards, back in the lobby and on our way out, there was a line of four couples waiting to give filmed testimonials for Shen Yun’s website. The reviews were glowing.
Thanks for Reading. Be well.
*Back on tour now in 2023, (in one of The Driftless’ nearby big cities) Shen Yun will play Milwaukee February 17th thru the 19th.
Rockford, Illinois on March 1st.
And several shows in the Chicago area in April.
By Matthew Schumann
*NOTE: Photos and cameras were NOT allowed at the show. Theater pictures are a representation of actual theater. Please visit Overture Center for a accurate depiction of theater.