NORTHAMPTON, UK—Wendy Brooks, retired company director, saw Shen Yun Performing Arts and felt it was a unique evening, an experience one of a kind.
“There’s nothing quite comparable to it,” said Ms. Brooks of the production she witnessed at the Royal & Derngate on Feb. 18. “Very uplifting.”
The production is filled with unique elements, such as the patented animated backdrop, or the orchestra that blends East and West. But in terms of themes, values, and deeper content, Ms. Brooks said there was much that was universal and resonated with her.
“I love the storytelling,” she said. “It’s interesting that so many of the stories cross over cultures, don’t they.”
“You saw everything from love to obviously anger and passion, and so many values came across,” she said. “I could relate to a great deal of what I could see going on and [it] felt very accurate and authentic to me.”
“I was just mesmerized, I think, by the color, the movement, just the technical achievement of the dancers as well,” Ms. Brooks said. “I could really see what this was and the work that went into it, and the sheer creativity, absolutely amazing.”
Also seeing Shen Yun for the first time was Denise Bailey, who did not know what to expect, but came away buoyed by the experience.
“Everything, I thought, was really delightful. It was colorful, which I did expect. The expressions and the technology of it, of the filming, I thought was, well, I was so captivated by it all,” Ms. Bailey said.
She also felt there were universal themes, and they had given her an uplifting feeling.
“I think it portrayed for mankind to be kind,” she said. “To be kind and to be good in your life.”
Ms. Bailey said she was captivated by the dance and storytelling, and “just taken with it all, taken along with it.”
“It was an absolute pleasure and exciting to see. Yeah, that’s how I felt,” she said. “They’re all floating away, and it just made me feel so relaxed and also going with them.”
“You sort of went back in time with them,” she said.
Ms. Bailey said the experience had been peaceful, tranquil, and relaxing, which was saying a lot for her as she tends to not sleep well.
“What a wonderful performance!” she said, adding that she was leaving feeling “very relaxed and very happy.”
“I’m really glad that I came,” she said. “It was very rewarding.”
