OXFORD, UK—The
Shen Yun Performing Arts presentation at the New Theatre on Jan. 25 was a crowd-pleaser. Eiry Kelly, a retired interior designer, and David James, an artist, painter and decorator, enjoyed the performance immensely.
“It was absolutely wonderful,” said Mrs. Kelly. “Enjoyed it. Everything.”
Both Mrs. Kelly and Mr. James, involved in interior design and the arts, were entranced by Shen Yun’s artistry, especially the intense
colors of the performance.
“The colors are very much me,” said Mrs. Kelly.
“I appreciated it very much,” Mr. James said. An artist, Mr. James, said he has painted dancers, “and that’s quite inspiring.” He noted how the dancers moved throughout each dance. “I just like the way that the [dancer’s] body moves,” he said.
The
3D backdrop is adorned with scenes that help to tell the story with the added effect of interacting with the performers to tell the stories. “That was fantastic,” said Mr. James.
“The way they go into it and then go above us. That was mesmerizing,” Mrs. Kelly said.
Shen Yun Performing Arts showcases singers. A tenor and soprano sing lyrics in Mandarin in the
bel canto style. Mrs. Kelly especially appreciated that the lyrics are shown in English on the backdrop “because you could see actually that was [being sung], because otherwise, we wouldn’t have been able to understand exactly what they were saying,” she said.
“That’s great to be able to see all that up on screen, and follow the words, and listen to them at the same time and understand it more,” Mrs. Kelly said.
Mrs. Kelly found the stories to have a profound emotional connection to
spirituality. Chinese culture was passed down from the heavens and expressed universal values throughout its history of 5,000 years.
“I just feel that it was very it was very spiritual for me. I’m a very spiritual person anyway, so I found that stirred my emotions,” she said of the scene where the Creator came down to save humanity with love and compassion.
Presenting a brand-new set of
dance pieces, musical compositions, and solo performances each season, the company takes its audience on a journey through time and space to rediscover the beauty and traditional values of pre-communist China.
“It taught us a lot, actually—us in the West,” said Mr. James.
Mr. James asked if Shen Yun could go to China. Although Shen Yun performs everywhere in the free world, it is banned in China. A big reason for it not being able to perform in China is that Shen Yun expresses stories based on spiritual and traditional values that are persecuted by the
communist regime.
“Maybe one day,” said Mrs. Kelly. “One day, you'll be accepted for what you believe in, and the spiritual side, and freedom. God willing.”
Reporting by Mary Man and Yvonne Marcotte.
