MANCHESTER, UK—As an artist, John Sutcliffe knows the kind of dedication one needs to pursue a life and career in the arts, and he saw that commitment in the artists of Shen Yun Performing Arts.
New York-based Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance, and the artists profess their mission to be the revival of 5,000 years of Chinese civilization—China before communism.
After seeing a performance at the Palace Theatre on Jan. 18, Mr. Sutcliffe was impressed with the blend of beauty, storytelling, and culture.
“I’m just really enjoying it. We wanted to come and see something different,” he said. “We just want to see the culture and ... it’s beautiful, beautiful.”
“The costumes are beautiful, and the energy is fantastic,” he said. “You come to something to be moved, don’t you, and that was moving.”
“It was really beautiful,” he added. “Something that’s beautiful touches you, and that’s really good.”
Mr. Sutcliffe added that he didn’t just mean the visuals had been beautiful, but the music and stories together came across beautifully as well. He said he enjoyed the fairytales, like myths and legends told through dance, feeling they were thoroughly authentic to the traditional Chinese culture.
“That’s a hard thing to do ... to make it authentic, to bring authenticity. That’s what you’ve got to do,” he said.
“It’s perfect,” he said.
