SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Couple Attends Shen Yun Every Year and Always Finds It Fabulous

Dec 30, 2023

BIRMINGHAM, U.K.—Shen Yun Performing Arts performed at the International Convention Center in Birmingham, UK on Dec. 30 to an enthusiastic audience. Martha and Brian Knifton attend every year and both said it’s “fabulous.”

Mrs. Knifton, a property manager, said: “I just think it’s phenomenal, taking in the work that they do, how fabulous they are. The commitment that they must put in. I just think it’s astounding, so we have to come and watch it.”

She was amazed at the technical precision of the performers coordinating with the 3D screen. “It’s amazing,” she said. “How did they get to do that? It’s just wonderful how they go down in that precise place, and they come up in there on the screen. The technology that must go into that. It’s just, it’s beyond what we know.”

Mr. Knifton, an IT consultant, said he loves a live orchestra, which is a hallmark of Shen Yun’s performances. He also felt the energy that came from the stage.

A close relative of the Kniftons is a Chinese woman who plays piano and teaches music. “She knows the commitment that goes into Shen Yun and she’s from China, so she wants to come,” Mrs. Knifton said.

With shows scheduled in over 200 cities and across five continents, the 2024 touring season is shaping up to be the artists’ busiest one yet.

Through classical Chinese dance and music, Shen Yun is sharing with the world the beauty of China’s authentic 5,000 years of history. Since its founding in 2006, the company has received worldwide accolades for its mission to revive traditional Chinese culture.

The Kniftons felt a real connection with the performers. “You just feel connected to them. It just makes you smile. You just have to sit all the way through the performance and just smile because it’s just wonderful, in like the stories,” Mrs. Knifton said.

They are aware that the dancers practice Falun Dafa, a spiritual practice based on the principles of truth, compassion, and forbearance. She is unhappy that persecution of the practice is continuing in China, and Shen Yun is banned from performing there, preventing the dancers from returning home.

“It makes you sad as well,” she said. “It touches your soul, [especially] when you hear that they’re still going through it now. We don’t realize how lucky we are.”

“It must be heartbreaking to them, especially if they’ve got family back home and they can’t go back. What they are giving up to do this performance—their commitment to this dance—they’re giving up family to do that, and they can’t go back and see them.”

Mrs. Knifton expressed her gratitude for all the training the performers put in every year. “Thank you for your commitment and the time and the effort that you put in. Please keep it up because we want to keep coming and watching it. So thank you so much,” she said.

She encouraged people to come and see the show. “It’s just wonderful for people to come and see. More people need to come and see it. It’s brilliant.”

Reporting by Mary Mann and Yvonne Marcotte.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.