SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen’s Yun’s Music Made Me ‘Quite Elated and Enlightened’: Salford Audience Member

Feb 26, 2024

SALFORD, UK—On Feb. 25, Shen Yun Performing Arts performed at The Lowry Salford in Salford to an enthralled audience. Raina Jefferies, her daughter Taliah, and sister Jayshree Parmer came to the show to celebrate Taliah’s 10th birthday.

Taliah said, “It was amazing, and I liked it” and she said especially liked “Sleeves of Grace.”

Ms. Parmer, an NHS analyst, agreed. “Breathtaking.”

Ms. Jefferies was surprised by the stories. “The stories they tell. Amazing. I can’t tell you which one in particular because I love them all. I thought they were all amazing. The history was amazing,” she said. She was also interested in the 3D animated backdrop where characters jump onto the screen. “The backdrop screens were brilliant.”

Ms. Parmer said, “I love how one minute is on the screen and then the jump out.”

Ms. Jeffries enjoyed the erhu. “You wouldn’t believe that two strings could make such an impact of music. It was beautiful.” She said different feelings arose with the music. “In some cases, I felt quite elated and enlightened. Other times, I felt really sad, like I was about to cry. It was really moving. Very emotional.”

She found the spiritual quality that Shen Yun presented quite beautiful. “Enlightenment that takes you to a different place. Actually, from Buddhism, [enlightenment] takes you somewhere else. [It] makes you realize that all the other things that are material are the things that don’t actually matter. It’s actually the kindness of people,” she said.

Ms. Parmer said she could feel the energy that comes from Shen Yun and that she was lifted to a special place. “I just did feel that. I felt like [I] was almost being lifted to somewhere else, like, quite spiritual. Like I’ve been taken away.”

To the performers, Ms. Jeffries said: “Just to say that we loved all of it. We thought it was absolutely amazing. And just how talented they just how talented they are. They’re just lots of practice—it’s really appreciated.”

Ms. Parmer said, “There’s a lot of hard work that’s gone into this show. Really.”

And birthday girl Taliah agreed. “They did a really good job.”

Anna Lee and Andy Phillips enjoyed Shen Yun Performing Arts at The Lowry Salford, in Salford, U.K. on Feb. 25. (Mary Mann/The Epoch Times) — Anna Lee and Andy Phillips enjoyed Shen Yun Performing Arts at The Lowry Salford, in Salford, U.K. on Feb. 25. Mary Mann/The Epoch Times

Sharing Traditional Culture Makes Shen Yun ‘All the More Moving’

The Phillips bought tickets to the show after receiving a flyer. Anna Lee and Andy Phillips enjoyed everything about the Shen Yun performance. A teacher, Mrs. Phillips enjoyed the dance, “Sleeves of Grace.”

The animated backdrop fascinated Mrs. Phillips. She liked “the merging of the live stage and the digital screen at the back. It’s quite incredible. I’ve never seen that before.”

Mr. Phillips, a human resource manager, agreed that the interaction between performers and the screen looked very real. “How do we know it actually came through the door?” he asked.

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

Mrs. Phillips said this was very significant. “I think it’s fantastic. Yes, I think it’s very, very important,” she said. The spiritual part of Chinese traditional culture and the connection with higher beings were very moving to her. “I think that comes across very, very well, and I think it’s a really important part of [Shen Yun] and makes it even more moving.”

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

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.