LONDON—From father to son, from brother to brother, on stage and off, positive masculine attributes were abounding at the Jan. 19, 2020, showing of Shen Yun Performing Arts in London. One father-son duo found a story of empathy between brothers most moving among all of the storytelling dances in the performance.
Company owner Garett Voecks took his teenage son to see New York-based Shen Yun at the Eventim Apollo. “One of the reasons I came here is because [my son] is studying Mandarin and I thought this would be a great experience for him,” Voecks said.
“I thought the show was wonderful. I can’t believe how athletic all of the dancers are. It’s almost like a sporting event,” he added.
“The story about the brother, and the conflict between how he was, what was best for him, and what was best for his brother and not looking out for himself. Because that would have been easiest to have continued on and been a police officer and he gave all that away in order to help his brother.
“It really touched me. Because probably just the empathy, the empathy and looking out for somebody else’s best interests and not only your own,” Voecks said.
Shen Yun dancers work exceptionally hard to master the technique needed to achieve the feats seen on stage. According to Shen Yun’s website, “All these jumping, turning, and flipping techniques, along with the exquisiteness of the bearing and form, give classical Chinese dance special expressivity. It is able to transcend ethnic, cultural, and even linguistic barriers, taking this well-established Chinese culture and presenting its essence to the world.”
“Yes, it’s certainly very challenging. Even 30, 40 years ago I couldn’t have been able to move like they can,” Voecks said.
“It makes me feel old,” he added, with a chuckle. “Especially all the women dancers, it’s like they are gliding. It’s like they are moving by magic.”
Like he'd hoped, the father and businessman found Shen Yun’s stories and themes educational for his son.
“I think the stories are very representative, representative of the culture, the priorities of the Chinese people. They should be told around the world,” he said.
