LONDON—Art curator Adam Waymouth and Aldine Honey, a retired CEO of a property consultancy firm, loved watching the traditional culture presented in Shen Yun on Thursday, March 7, the third performance at London’s Barbican Centre.
Mr. Waymouth has a deep appreciation of art and was a co-director of the London art gallery 20 Hoxton Square Projects. He was impressed with the portrayal of true Chinese culture and expressed the importance of preserving that heritage.
“I loved the fact that it is traditional, and all cultures regardless of politics should embrace their past. So therefore I loved it,” Mr. Waymouth said.
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has a mission to rekindle the 5,000-year-old divine culture.
Mr. Waymouth welcomed the honest exposé of the Chinese regime’s politically motivated human rights abuses. He was referring to dance pieces An Unexpected Encounter and Divine Mercy, which show the present-day persecution of the spiritual group Falun Gong.
Shen Yun, however, cannot be seen in China today, where traditional culture has been nearly lost, according to the Shen Yun website.
“Respect of faith is so important. I believe everyone should have freedom of faith,” Mr. Waymouth said.
Mr. Waymouth’s companion to the performance, Aldine Honey, also recognised the importance of freedom of belief and said that it was a pity that Falun Gong practitioners were deprived of their right to practise in China.
Before founding her property management company, Ms. Honey was a renowned fashion model. Experienced in the world of couture, Ms. Honey enjoyed the costumes and the precision and beauty of the classical Chinese dance in Shen Yun.
“The long silk sleeve dancing technique was amazing,” Ms. Honey said, referring to the dance Ancient Elegance, where fairies “glide like whispers on the wind, skilfully spinning their long silken sleeves”, according to the programme.
Ms. Honey was also enchanted with the traditional Chinese two-stringed instrument, the erhu.
“That was magical, absolutely beautiful,” she said.
Reporting by Meng Fei and Rosemary Byfield.
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
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