BIRMINGHAM, United Kingdom—Shen Yun Performing Arts gave its second and final show at Birmingham’s prestigious ICC on Tuesday, April 15.

The New York-based company’s performance showcases classical Chinese dance on a grand scale, and according to its website, takes the audience on a journey through 5,000 years of Chinese culture, weaving “a wondrous tapestry of heavenly realms, ancient legends, and modern heroic tales.”

Paul Pentin, a design engineer in the automotive sector, was among the audience. He was impressed by the athleticism of the dancers.

“I think it’s extremely spectacular, fantastic,” he said. “I just wish I could dance like that. Everybody so powerful and strong, and the artistry was brilliant.”

While not having any previous knowledge of Chinese culture or mythology, he found the diversity was well portrayed on stage, beautiful to watch, and “thoroughly enlightening.”

Through the medium of classical Chinese dance, Shen Yun’s performers bring to life stories from ancient China up to the present day. “[The] dancing combined to demonstrate and express these stories is fantastic,” Mr. Pentin said.

He was also impressed by Shen Yun’s innovative use of animated backdrops to extend the stage. “The transition between the technical backdrop and the real life dancing is fantastic,” he said.

As well as ancient legends, Shen Yun portrays contemporary tales of courage. He referred to one piece where practitioners of Falun Dafa—a traditional meditation practice—demonstrate fortitude and steadfast faith when faced with persecution.

“The dance of the people who were persecuted for the interesting meditation was quite alarming but a fantastic representation of possible contemporary problems. I thought [it] was very, very good.”

Shen Yun Performing Arts World Company goes on to Dublin’s Convention Centre for performances on April 19 and 20.

Reporting by NTD Television and Simon Miller

New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit Shen Yun Performing Arts. 

The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time. We have proudly covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.