LONDON—Tangy Morgan, deputy head of underwriting performance at Lloyd’s of London, was delighted she was able to reschedule her busy life to see Shen Yun Performing Arts for their last performance at the London Coliseum on Sunday, April 15.
“It’s really uplifting,” said Ms. Morgan. “It’s tranquil, it’s calming and the mood is soothing.” This mood pervaded the whole audience, she felt. “Everyone is in awe!”
At the heart of Shen Yun is the dedication of the artists to live their lives following an “ancient Chinese belief: that to create true art, there must first be inner beauty,” states the programme book.
“I just loved the young ladies in their beautiful costumes and the water lilies—to me, it’s just quite beautiful,” said Ms. Morgan, referring to the classical Chinese dance Lotus Leaves, in which “the dancers’ unique full-circle fans sway like lily pads in the wind, evoking scenes of a flowering lotus garden in the summertime,” according to the programme book.
Ms. Morgan summed up her feeling: “The costumes are fantastic, the dancers are incredible and it’s really uplifting,” she said.
New York-based Shen Yun has a mission to revive traditional Chinese culture using the form of classical Chinese and ethnic dance and music. The performance is “a study in grace, wisdom, and the virtues distilled from the five millennia of Chinese civilization,” according to the Shen Yun website.
Enjoying her passion for travelling, Ms. Morgan recently spent time in China. However, she recognised that many Western people may not be familiar with the quintessential Chinese culture, and they “haven’t been exposed to the Chinese culture in a traditional sense, so [Shen Yun] coming to London draws people into it”, she said.
Ms. Morgan found it helpful that each piece in the performance was introduced by a Western and Chinese host “to actually bring it home that this is a different culture, a different way of life, a different way of thinking to the Western culture,” she said. Having the explanations enabled a deeper understanding of the true Chinese culture, she said.
Ms. Morgan was eager to spread the word to others: “I would definitely recommend the show to friends of mine. So hopefully [Shen Yun] will come back very soon.”
Reporting by NTD Television and Rosemary Byfield.
Shen Yun Performing Arts, based in New York, has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world, with a mission to revive traditional Chinese culture. Shen Yun Performing Arts International Company will next perform in Chicago at the Civic Opera House, April 19-22.
For more information visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
