SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Oxford Audience Praises Shen Yun’s Artistry and Divine Themes

Jan 05, 2024

OXFORD, U.K.—A profound belief in the divine is not unique to any one culture. Karen Bethnel, Tracey Silvermore, and their mother found that Shen Yun’s portrayal of the Creator resonated with their Christian beliefs.

“We’re Christians ourselves, so we definitely appreciated the themes of salvation and appreciate the Creator. So we were very blessed by that. In our own way,” said Ms. Silvermore, a fundraising and communications manager for a Christian charity.

The trio watch Shen Yun Performing Arts at New Theatre Oxford on Jan. 4.

Shen Yun Performing Arts is based in New York, and its mission is to revive 5,000 years of Chinese civilization—a culture that revered the divine.

Ms. Silvermore expressed that she felt “a resonance” with the “godly themes,” and she saw the “appreciation for heaven and God.”

Through classical Chinese dance and music, Shen Yun’s artists are able to tell vivid stories that originated in China before communism.

“We highly recommend it. It is a beautiful celebration of 5,000 years of Chinese history in classical dance. Thank you to all the dancers. We thoroughly enjoyed it,” said Ms. Bethnel.

Classical Chinese dance emphasizes bearing, form, and technique, which takes years to master. This dance form is one of the oldest in the world.

Ms. Silvermore was struck by “the commitment and the dedication of the dancers. It must take years for them to train. Such hard work. So, definitely, we felt that.”

According to Shen Yun’s website, China was once known as the land of the divine. Unfortunately, after communism took power, traditional Chinese culture became shrouded in falsehoods and mystery.

‘Nothing Like What I’ve Seen Before’

“Absolutely fabulous. It’s nothing like what I’ve seen before, really. And you get such an insight into the culture because it’s been a bit of a closed culture. It’s very vibrant and wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. Very expressive,” said Ms. Bethnel.

Ms. Silvermore and Ms. Bethnel fulfilled their mother’s wish when they joined her to see Shen Yun perform this season.

Ms. Silvermore shared that she felt a “happiness to bring mum, to see what she wanted to see, what we enjoyed as well. And just joy for life, really.”

Reporting by Mary Mann and Maria Han.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.