SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun’s Traditional Message Resonates With Birmingham Audience

Dec 29, 2023

BIRMINGHAM, U.K.—Shen Yun Performing Arts performed at the International Convention Center on Dec. 29 to an enthusiastic audience, including Jung Singh, who works in construction, and his wife Uzara, a social worker.

Mrs. Singh found the Shen Yun performance “very uplifting, very spiritual.”

Mr. Singh said he liked the message on the billboard that was about peace and never giving up, “and even with going through change, there still is hope.”

Mrs. Singh saw the victory of good over evil in the stories. “We saw that clearly,” she said.

Both saw the importance of keeping traditional culture. “I still think we need to hold some traditional values as well,” Mr. Singh said. “I think our values are going too much towards the internet and things like that.”

They both agreed that Shen Yun’s traditional message was important for modern society.

Through classical Chinese dance and music, Shen Yun is sharing with the world the beauty of China’s authentic 5,000 years of history. Since its founding in 2006, the company has received worldwide accolades for its mission to revive traditional Chinese culture.

With performances scheduled in over 200 cities and across five continents, the 2024 touring season is shaping up to be the artists’ busiest one yet.

“I think we need to go back [to traditional culture]. I think this is the key. We need to go back and follow the traditions. We’re losing them,” Mr. Singh said.

Mrs. Singh appreciated the family themes in the stories. “It’s nice to have that the children and the family connection put in there. That was really good.”

Chinese Attorney Says Performers Were ‘Absolutely Brilliant!’

Retired engineer Paul Goodwin and his wife, Jenny Loynton, attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at the International Convention Center in Birmingham, U.K., on Dec. 29, 2023. (Mary Mann/Epoch Times) — Retired engineer Paul Goodwin and his wife, Jenny Loynton, attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at the International Convention Center in Birmingham, U.K., on Dec. 29, 2023. Mary Mann/Epoch Times

Retired engineer Paul Goodwin and his wife Jenny Loynton, an attorney, enjoyed the story about the Monkey King.

“That was fantastic!” Ms. Loynton said. “That was really good because I was brought up with that, so it was nice.”

Ms. Loynton, who is Chinese and originally from Malaysia, commented on the spiritual aspects of the performance.

“I can relate to that because my culture is almost the same as that in a parallel world,” she said.

“We have stories like that, too. It does bring a lot of emotion for me, and brings back some memories of my childhood, when I was growing up, and the stories and the dances. We were brought up to dance—as a girl, I was brought up to do that,” she said.

Ms. Loynton had several ways to describe the performers: “Absolutely brilliant. Spellbinding. Magnificent.”

Reporting by Mary Mann and Yvonne Marcotte.

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