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Photoblog: Shen Yun’s First Weeks in Europe

Photoblog: Shen Yun’s First Weeks in Europe

After the intercontinental flight to Geneva, we crossed over the French border and took a stroll through the Alpine town of Annecy. We had coffee at the many cafes the town had to offer. (Lily Wang)

Here, Principal Dancer and fellow blogger Ben Chen enjoys the morning sun along the Thiou Canal. You can see why the Thiou is considered the postcard of Annecy, hence the town’s nickname “Venice of the Alps.” Lake Annecy is France’s third largest lake. It was formed some 18,000 years ago and is fed by many small rivers from the surrounding mountains. Lake Annecy is known as Europe’s cleanest lake because of strict environmental regulations introduced in the 1960s. (Ben Chen’s Apple device)

And in the Alps, where there are clear lakes (everywhere), there are swans. (Annie Li)

Principal Dancer Cheryl Lin, dancers Erin Battrick and Michelle Wu, the Thiou Canal and the Palais de l'Isle. The Palais de I’Isle is a castle built in 1132 as the residence of the Lord of Annecy. Later, it became the Count of Geneva’s administrative HQ, then a courthouse, a mint, and then a jail from the Middle Ages until 1865, and again during World War II. Today, it is a museum. (Seron Guang Ling Chau)

As we venture deeper into the winding streets of Annecy, we are lured by the smell of fresh baked bread and delicate pastries in the crisp air. (Seron Guang Ling Chau)

In Geneva, we performed at the Batiment des Forces Motrices (BFM), anchored in the middle of the Rhône River. (Lily Wang)

In the late nineteenth century, the BFM had been a hydroelectric station. It supplied thousands of homes in Geneva with drinking water and electricity for almost a century, before being transformed into a cultural and artistic center in the 1980s. The lobby displays many of the original machines. (F Chun)

...which made an interesting background for our daily dance class.

Stepping out the door from the lobby, Principal Dancer Cheryl Lin warms up on the balcony overlooking the Rhône River. (Seron Guang Ling Chau)

Only a few minutes away are Lake Geneva and the famed Jet d’Eau. Five hundred liters of water are jetted every second to an altitude of 140 meters. The water leaves the nozzle at a speed of 200 kmh. (Annie Li)

And the jet is visible from the theater’s backstage! Here Shen Yun violinist Patrick Swiatek is inspired to accompany it. (Leeshai Lemish’s iPhone)

Of course, it wouldn’t be a trip to Switzerland if we didn’t have some fondue. (Annie Li)

We then made our way over to Holland where, outside Amsterdam, Principal Dancer Jerry Zhang, this year’s crazy monk, tries his luck at golf. (F Chun)

Principal Dancer Alvin Song, formerly a first-rate high school tennis player, joins the gentlemen on the green. (F Chun)

Our theater, the state-of-the-art National Opera & Ballet, is situated along Amsterdam’s elaborate network of canals. And a few of us explored the canals and city by boat. This photo was taken from one of Amsterdam’s 1,500 bridges.

While others, like Principal Dancer Lily Wang, joined the celebration of Rembrandt’s work in his hometown. (Seron Guang Ling Chau)

Principal Dancer Jerry Zhang takes a close look, while Steve Feng and Ben Chen admire their photos of the picturesque Dutch capital. Lily Wang and Seron Guang Ling Chau say goodbye to Amsterdam. Next stop - Berlin and then Paris, Brussels, and Barcelona!

It was a very unusual sight for us, Europe was, when we landed and there was no snow on the ground. For two months during the worst winter in recent North American memory, we toured cities like Montreal, Detroit, and Minneapolis. Now, as we got off the plane in Switzerland, the sky was blue, the birds were soaring. There was no snow! Welcome to Europe.

Annie Li

Projection Engineer

March 26, 2014

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