SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun Takes Woking Audience on a Journey Through 5,000 Years of Chinese Civilization

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Shen Yun Takes Woking Audience on a Journey Through 5,000 Years of Chinese Civilization
Miranda Tilbury at the Shen Yun Performing Arts performance at New Victoria Theatre on NTD

WOKING, U.K.—Chinese history is 5,000 years long, and Shen Yun Performing Arts takes the audience on a journey through time—from creation to the modern day.

“It’s amazing to go through the ages like that so seamlessly. It was beautiful,” said Miranda Tilbury, NHS public health consultant.

Ms. Tilbury came to see the performance with five other family members and she said she was pleased that Shen Yun could be enjoyed by people of all ages.

“Absolutely mind-blowing ... The colors, the dancing, it really blew me away. I’m lucky to be here with my family and all of us to enjoy that—all ages from my daughter up to her grandma—it’s a brilliant evening out,” said Ms. Tilbury.

Shen Yun is based in New York, and its mission is to revive 5,000 years of Chinese civilization.

“I didn’t realize we were going to get an insight into the history and everything that’s gone over in time and some of the persecution,” said Ms. Tilbury.

Shen Yun’s depiction of modern China tells the story of Falun Gong practitioners being persecuted for their faith.

“It’s a bit of an eye-opener in terms of what could happen in our lives if we allow this repression to continue. So it’s important we make sure everyone has a voice,” she remarked.

Falun Gong is a practice that greatly benefits the mind and body. It teaches Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance as its core principles. However, when the practice reached a level of popularity that was unacceptable to the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the regime began to persecute Falun Gong.

“I want to research some of this meditation (Falun Gong) and everything—because it’s actually made me very curious about it, and it’s something I want to pass on to my family,” shared Ms. Tilbury.

Shen Yun Performing Arts New Era Company's curtain call at the New Victoria Theatre in Woking, U.K., on Jan. 12, 2024. (The Epoch Times)
Shen Yun Performing Arts New Era Company's curtain call at the New Victoria Theatre in Woking, U.K., on Jan. 12, 2024. The Epoch Times
Shen Yun’s dancers tell stories using classical Chinese dance, and each story presents values and morals essential to traditional Chinese culture.

“Through each bit of the story, you saw the good overcome the evil, so it was wonderful to just reiterate some of those morals we try to instill at home,” said Ms. Tilbury.

She also expressed that the morals displayed by Shen Yun are highly important to modern-day society.

“Just those simple acts of kindness and love are what we need in the world right now. There’s a lot going on and a lot of unrest, and if we promote some of those messages, hopefully things will improve,” she said.

Shen Yun’s singers are trained to use the bel canto technique, a natural method of singing used in early European opera. What most people don’t know is that this singing technique was also used in Chinese theater.

“It was lovely. It’s the first time I’ve heard such beautiful singing in another language like that,” said Ms. Tilbury.

Shen Yun’s live orchestra combines a classic Western ensemble with traditional Chinese instruments like the pipa, erhu, and various percussion instruments, creating a sound that is unique to Shen Yun.

“Absolutely beautiful music. And I love the combination of Chinese and what we would normally see in an orchestra. So it was absolutely lovely,” Ms. Tilbury said.

Reporting by NTD 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.
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