Lyn Mary Sharpe, the Lord Mayor of Stoke-On-Trent, gave her impression of the performance. “Ooh. I’ve just been blown away. Absolutely blown away. I did do a little bit of research before I came and saw some of the videos that were online,” she said.
“But nothing’s prepared me for the spectacle and the drama and the costumes. Just so wonderful. Wonderful,” she said.
The Lord Mayor was very moved during the performance. “I’ve had a little tear in my eye because it was so beautiful. .... When [the dancers] were jumping and leaping, and the legs were coming up, parallel to their heads, I was thinking: I wish I was that flexible. But obviously, I’m not,” she said.
‘Heaven on Earth’
“But the overall feeling is disbelief because it’s so beautiful. It’s like a little bit of heaven on earth. That’s how I can describe it,” said Ms. Sharpe.The Lord Mayor especially enjoyed a dance with long, flowing “water sleeves” and how the dancers interacted with the animated backdrop.
“I love when they did the water sleeves and the girls were doing that. I was like, how on earth do you do that? How on earth do you do that? So it’s fabulous. And I love when they jump down at the back, and then suddenly they’re up on the screen.
“That is so clever. I don’t know how they do it. I don’t need to know how they do it, because to me that’s magic. I want it to be magic and leave it at that in my mind,” she said.
Ms. Sharpe enjoyed the stories Shen Yun told to dance, describing several.
“I like the fairy falling in love with the peasant boy. That brings back all those sorts of childhood memories of princesses, princes, and fairy beings. It’s magical. It’s like pantomime for grownups,” said the Lord Mayor.
Ms. Sharpe also appreciated, “Sitting close to the front, I can see the faces of the performers as well. So those little bits of expressions and faces relate a lot about the story and the storytelling.”
The skill of Shen Yun’s dancers impressed her.
Ms. Sharpe noted the full orchestra. The orchestra is “beautiful, absolutely beautiful. It’s always nice to have a full orchestra at these things,” she said.
She was impressed that the lyrics in Mandarin were translated into English on the back screen while the singers performed.
Rooted in History
The Lord Mayor said it was important to maintain a culture and make it relevant in today’s world. “I think every people should know their history, their culture, their background, regardless of where you’re from in this world. It roots you. It puts you in your place, in with your ancestry, and in with your descendants.“I’m a proud Stokie and a local historian. Obviously, our history is totally different from the Chinese culture. But Indian culture, any culture—It’s who you are, it defines who you are. It’s about being as one with your ancestry,” said the Lord Mayor.
The Lord Mayor said she would enthusiastically encourage friends and family to see Shen Yun. “I'd say to my family and friends that, if they haven’t come this time, and it ever comes back to Stoke-on-Trent or near to, then they need to come.
“They need to come. I go to a lot of theater productions with my sisters who live in different parts of the country, and if it comes back to Stoke-on-Trent, then I would be saying, ‘Right, let’s have a family get-together. Let’s do this. You need to experience this with me’ because family’s important as tradition and ancestry are important.”
