Shen Yun a modern appeal to classical Chinese dance

A production 5,000 years in the making arrives at the Tivoli Theatre on Tuesday.

Shen Yun 2012, a world touring performance combining choreographed dance and all-original orchestral compositions, has been described as a fusion of classical arts with modern appeal.

This is the first time the production has come to Chattanooga.

At the basis of Shen Yun 2012 is classical Chinese dance with the country’s 5,000 years of civilization as inspiration.

“It is a dance form,” according to promoters, “built on profound traditional aesthetics. In its early days, it was conveyed primarily among the people, in the imperial courts and through ancient plays. Over thousands of years, this art was continually organized and refined, with it eventually developing into the vast, systematic and distinctively Chinese dance form that we know today.”

The people of China, it has been said, consider their culture a gift from the heavens.

“Art was primarily a means to explore the connection between humankind and the higher universe,” promoters said. “Artists cultivated virtue because they felt to create art worthy of the divine, there must first be inner beauty and purity.”

To create the show, choreographers and composers re-create ancient stories and legends, or convey an aspect of the culture, through a number of short pieces that last no more than a few minutes.

Backing those pieces — with the leaps, turns, flips, spins and other aerial delights of performers — are exquisite costumes, animated backdrops and a large orchestra.

The production is created anew each year at an upstate New York campus. While many who see Shen Yun believe its artistry comes from gymnastics and acrobatics, the complicated turns and techniques originate in classical Chinese dance that allows its participants to bring any character from any time period — ancient, modern, Eastern or Western — to life.