SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Former Ballet Dancer Loves Shen Yun’s Beautiful Dance Movements

Feb 14, 2025

BOURNEMOUTH, UK—The Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre was filled with excited anticipation when the curtain opened on Shen Yun Performing Arts on Feb. 13.

Artists and business professionals alike found much to love. Tatiana Mills, a retired ballet dancer who performed around the world, attended with her husband Clive, who retired from the field of health and safety.

“Oh, I loved it, and enjoyed it very much indeed,” Mrs. Mills said.

Mr. Mills explained his wife’s delight in the performance. “My wife particularly enjoyed it because of the ballet. She’s an ex-dancer and she was a trained ballet dancer,” he said.

With her background in ballet, Mrs. Mills noticed the dancers’ beautiful movements. Classical Chinese dance “is beautiful,” she said. “I’m Russian trained, so the style of dance that I was taught in is very similar in a way, with the way they use their arms and legs. The guys that wear the skirts—down in the knees—and then jumping high. It was fantastic.”

The mission of Shen Yun is to revive 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture before communism, through music and dance.

Mrs. Mills noted the difference in how ballet dancers perform on their toes, while Shen Yun’s dancers have different dance shoes. “I know. I saw the flat shoes,” she said. Both she and her husband loved the colorful costumes.

Shen Yun’s 3D animated backdrop interacts with the dancers in ways the audiences love. “I liked the animation with the screen,” said Mrs. Mills.

She wondered how the performers could dance with such energy during the performance. “They must be tired because they’re going on and on and on for an hour, aren’t they?” Mrs. Mills said.

When describing the moral values expressed in Shen Yun, Mr. Mills said, “It’s all good—genuine thought and tradition.”

Mrs. Mills performed in China in the 1980s. Shen Yun dancers practice Falun Dafa, a spiritual meditation practice, and are not allowed to perform in China today.

“The world’s a complicated place,” Mr. Mills said. “Very complicated. It’s a shame that such traditional values can’t have their place.”

“It’s crazy,” Mrs. Mills said.

The Mills had good wishes for Shen Yun’s performers. Mr. Mills said Shen Yun is “beautiful and very good luck to them.”

“People need to see it. They need to understand it. What it used to be like, as well,” Mrs. Mills said. To the performers, she said, “I think they’re fabulous. Keep doing what you’re doing.”

“Best wishes to all of them, and hope they have very successful careers,” Mr. Mills said.

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.