SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun ‘Worth Every Minute,’ Says Former Aerospace Engineer

Feb 22, 2024
SHARE
Shen Yun ‘Worth Every Minute,’ Says Former Aerospace Engineer
Bruce Carter attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Lowry Salford on Feb. 21., 2024.(Mary Mann/The Epoch Times)

SALFORD, UK—The performance of Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Lowry Salford in Salford, delighted the audience on Feb. 21, including Bruce Carter, a retired aerospace engineer.

“It’s amazing,” he said. ”It’s so colorful, and obviously, the dancing is fantastic. Super enjoying it.”

Mr. Carter enjoyed each and every dance in the program. “Individually, they’re all fantastic dances, all unique in their own way. All the performances, all the individual stories, just really good.”

He has some familiarity with Asian culture from his time as a marine engineer in the Merchant Navy. He said the culture is “fantastic. I’ve spent a lot of time out the Far East.”

Mr. Carter noted the spiritual connection of Chinese culture with higher realms and that culture comes from heaven. “It’s different (from) our culture, obviously, but it’s enlightening. It’s just different and unique,” he said.

The message of compassion came through clearly for Mr. Carter. “You find that everywhere you go. Everywhere, every country has its own—there are parallels in similar ways in all human emotions [such as] compassion.” He also acknowledged the reverse of compassion in the communist party.

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

To the performers, Mr. Carter gave his heartiest encouragement. “It’s fantastic what you do. It’s taken us a few hours to drive here, but it’s worth every minute.”

Kevin Braithwait and Alex Smith attend Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Lowry Salford, UK, on Feb. 21, 2024. (Mary Mann/The Epoch Times)
Kevin Braithwait and Alex Smith attend Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Lowry Salford, UK, on Feb. 21, 2024. (Mary Mann/The Epoch Times)

‘Keener Understanding of Chinese Culture’

Shen Yun inspired IT manager Kevin Braithwaite and Alex Smith as they watched the performance. Ms. Smith said that Shen Yun is “incredible. Really inspiring. Absolutely beautiful.”
What is happening in China today was new to her. “Really informative.” Ms. Smith was surprised that “one of the dancers said she would love to be able to dance in China one day. So it means that she’s not able to right now, and we didn’t realize that.”

Mr. Braithwaite said: “It’s sad that they can’t practice what they like in their own country. Very sad. I got [a] keener understanding of Chinese culture. Good to know the culture and the reason why they’re doing this.”

He was amazed at the 3D animated backdrop that interacted with the dancers. “It’s very clever, the way they integrated it, [and how they put] the real people into the animation.”

Ms. Smith enjoyed the culture presented by Shen Yun. “That’s the best bit,” she said. “I’m learning.” The spiritual aspect of traditional Chinese culture was new to her. “I know very little about the culture so this is a learning experience for me.”

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.
Mr. Braithwaite agreed. The many aspects of China’s culture surprised him, including traditional values “about how people communicate. Things like that.”

Ms. Smith also expressed her encouragement to the performers. “Thank you for just coming and doing this.” She thanked the performers for “sharing their passion.”

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.
Related Topics
shen yun
SHARE