Have any of the Loungers seen Shen Yun?

[Algernon Moncrieff]

If so, what did you think? Worth seeing?

They advertise the living heck out of it. It makes the rounds through our area every other year.

[RandySF]

1. All I know is that it's produced by Falun Gong.

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/stepping-into-the-uncanny-unsettling-world-of-shen-yun

[Algernon Moncrieff]

8. I didn't even know that.

So thanks. I'm not saying I wouldn't go, but it makes it less likely.

I have no love of the Chinese Government. So the fact that they are a religious sect that ticks off the Chinese Government would normally make me more inclined to go see it - especially given that their Embassy told Americans to avoid it. But I also have no love for those that practice intolerance and are anti-science.

Honest to God - I just wanted to know if the show was any good. As I said down-thread, I was not trying to get into politics in the Lounge. So for that I'm sorry.

[SCantiGOP]

2. Check the prices

Super Bowl level prices.
I haven’t seen it but it’s been advertised for almost a year.

[Algernon Moncrieff]

7. And they want dudes o show up in jacets and ties and gals in dresses.

I'm a casual American. I rarely put on a suit unless it's Christmas or Easter Mass, a funeral, or I've got to be seen in front of the company executives.

[lunasun]

3. Please don't its connected to epoch Times Falun Gong trumps biggest ad buyer on FB

If you don’t believe me here is NBC
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/trump-qanon-impending-judgment-day-behind-facebook-fueled-rise-epoch-n1044121
The Epoch Media Group, along with Shen Yun, a dance troupe known for its ubiquitous advertising and unsettling performances, make up the outreach effort of Falun Gong, a relatively new spiritual practice that combines ancient Chinese meditative exercises, mysticism and often ultraconservative cultural worldviews. Falun Gong’s founder has referred to Epoch Media Group as “our media,” and the group’s practice heavily informs The Epoch Times’ coverage, according to former employees who spoke with NBC
Their views were always anti-abortion and homophobic, but there was more room for disagreements in the early days,” he said.

Hurley said Falun Gong practitioners saw communism everywhere: former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, movie star Jackie Chan and former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan were all considered to have sold themselves out to the Chinese government, Hurley said.

This kind of coverage foreshadowed the news organization’s embrace of conspiracy theories like QAnon, the overarching theory that there is an evil cabal of “deep state” operators and child predators out to take down the president.

“It is so rabidly pro-Trump,” Hurley said, referring to The Epoch Times. Devout practitioners of Falun Gong “believe that Trump was sent by heaven to destroy the Communist Party.”

Tell everyone you know . Most Americans think it’s great because it is supporting religion and banned in China
It’s not just anti China you are supporting by going it’s TRUMP too
Plus I think FB has already banned them recently so maybe start thinking why they have been banned in China for so long instead of religious freedoms

[Algernon Moncrieff]

6. I read RandySF's New Yorker article.

Honestly, I had no idea there was a political subtext. I figured my question was more along the lines of asking if the "Dancing With The Stars Live!" tour was worth the money.

I apologize for bringing politics into our otherwise politics-less Lounge. It was not intentional.

[lunasun]

9. Oh sorry I did not see it was in the Lounge . I guess I brought politics in to the post . Can delete

if you want to keep it about production only

[Algernon Moncrieff]

12. No. Its all good

I really had no idea.

[Dan]

4. I'm not going to comment on the politics of its owners/advertisers,

But I will answer your question.

My wife and I attended a showing in Seattle about two years ago. It was very nice, the scenery and the artistic dancing a sight to behold. At times it was hard to follow the story line, but you are so attracted to the dancers - and the beautiful costumes that they wear.

They, the dancers, are beautiful young people - and during the breaks - the selling of whatever it was that they were selling - we just ignored that.

It was worth the money and the drive to Seattle. We enjoyed, but having said that - there is little interest in seeing the show a second time.

[Algernon Moncrieff]

5. Seems like a fair answer

I appreciate it.

On one hand, it kind of looks like a hyper-stylized, Chinese version of Cirque Du Soleil. The snips they show look really cool. On the other hand, there is something about the incessant advertising that is odd.

[dhill926]

10. We went...

very turned off by the political implications. Some decent music, rest of the production was not impressive.

[Algernon Moncrieff]

13. After reading all this, I get that.

Thanks.

[cyclonefence]

11. NO--er, I mean yes I saw it, but no not worth seeing

My sister-in-law had expressed interest due to all the advertising, so when we needed to give her a spectacular thank-you present we bought four of the best seats in the house (I forget how much, but too much).

1. The dancing is beautiful *the first time they do it*. All the dancing is the same steps, with different costumes and music.

2. Their "spectacular technological achievement" is a large screen at the back of the stage with a little berm in front of it so that it looks like people shown on the screen come out of it, when it's obvious they're hiding behind the berm, then pop up.

3. They advertise "traditional Chinese dance" which it is not.

The first part is innocuous if a little repetitive. That's when a Chinese guy interviewed my husband, taking his picture and all, about how he liked it and what message he was receiving from it. My husband fumped around and the guy said his interview would appear in Chinese newspapers. Yeah.

The second part is totally political, with the grand finale a screen showing kind of a tsunami washing away Darwin and Marx and some other guys I don't know. It's dedicated to some god whose name I forget who apparently disapproves of all scientific progress. There are lots of scenes of Falun Gong believers being tortured (in dance, of course) for their beliefs, holding up their sacred book.

There is none of the acrobatic, flying dance shown in the ads. In between acts, an American man and a Chinese woman talked some nonsense, apparently introducing what was to follow.

Not only was it a total waste of my money and time, I felt assaulted as if by evangelicals who would not leave my doorstep.

Please do not support this thing.

[lunasun]

14. That was probably not a lie about the newspaper if you were selected . They have a very large

distribution of Epoch Times (free) in Chinese communities here and elsewhere and were most likely looking for positive comments to publish with a certain face on it , so there was a possibility .
Other than that they are total trump trash and were ill before he appeared
so you made a good comparison

[Vivienne235729]

15. We went to see it a few years back. We enjoyed seeing the performance & the beautiful costumes.

But having said that, I felt the political stuff detracted from the show. They should have stuck to just the dancing and pretty outfits. That's why anyone goes. We wouldn't go again bc of that.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

16. Saw it about a year ago. Very bright, vivid colors, acrobatic dancing.

The political messaging, religious messaging, and intermittent miracles detracted from the enjoyment somewhat. I guess I'm glad we saw it, wouldn't see it again.