BIRMINGHAM, UK—Director Simon Slidel was mesmerized by Shen Yun Performing Arts at the ICC Birmingham Hall on January 7.

“It was amazing, I got absolutely immersed in the culture of China,” said Mr. Slidel.

“I was quite emotional about it, it really gets to you … mesmerized by the colors and the costumes and the way everybody moves together—it gives you a tingly feeling!”

Shen Yun is based out of New York and has become the world’s premier classical Chinese dance company. Through the universal languages of music and dance, Shen Yun presents story-based dances depicting heavenly realms, ancient legends, and modern heroic tales spanning 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture.

According to the company’s website, the presented heroes embody the most exalted virtues of Chinese civilization and convey morals still relevant to the modern day.

“It’s really important to think that history is always being made … it’s good to understand behind everything that is happening there is always traditions but also what is happening now … will become history in years to come.”

“The singers were also out of this world,” said Mr. Slidel, “it gives you goosebumps and … just filled the room.”

Adrian Smythe, company owner, was likewise amazed by Shen Yun’s performance on Jan. 7. He admired the company’s mission to keep the classical art form alive by representing “different sorts of ethnicities” and the “different styles of dance.”

“I love the fact that they tell stories through dance,” he said, “the interpretive dance is always a wonderful way to get the imagination of the audience going with living into the story.”

“I think it’s really important for emotion to come across in the dance,” said Mr. Smythe, “I think that the dancers individually are feeling that emotion as well, and they’re quite keen to portray that which is definitely coming through for me.”

“Whether it’s a good guy or a bad guy in the scene … those emotions really came through,” he said, “that was really impressive.”