We have just left the performance in Madrid, and honestly, it was deeply disappointing. At times, it felt less like a cultural show and more like a vehicle for promoting a very specific ideology associated with Falun Gong. The messaging was surprisingly explicit, suggesting that embracing atheism or the theory of evolution would lead you to hell.
In one scene, communist characters suddenly appeared and violently attacked the performers, which felt like a simplistic and poorly developed political critique. The ideological tone was constant and overwhelming.
That said, the segments focused on Chinese mythology were beautiful and genuinely enjoyable. The soloist playing the traditional Chinese instrument was outstanding, and the singers and dancers are undeniably talented and highly skilled.
However, throughout the show, religious messaging was repeatedly inserted — implying that if you step outside a certain belief system, you are embracing evil or the devil, and that modern values and customs will lead humanity to moral decay, death, and the loss of our souls.
While the artistic level of the performers is very high, the strong ideological and religious undertones overshadowed what could otherwise have been a purely cultural and artistic experience.
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Shen Yun Performing Arts is the world's premier classical Chinese dance and music company, established in New York in 2006. It performs classical Chinese dance, ethnic and folk dance, and story-based dance, with orchestral accompaniment and solo performers. For 5,000 years, divine culture flourished in the land of China. Through breathtaking music and dance, Shen Yun is reviving this glorious culture. Shen Yun, or 神韻, can be translated as: “The beauty of divine beings dancing.”See more
