Shen Yun Is ‘Performance Beyond All Performances’: Top Executive
Mar 05, 2022
SHARE
Andy Castle at the Shen Yun Performing Arts performance at the Eventim Apollo, in London, on March 5, 2022. (NTD)
LONDON, U.K.—A top executive of a multinational tech firm enjoyed Shen Yun Performing Arts so much last time around that he took his family to see the show again this year and said he will come again next year as well.
Andy Castle is a London-based vice-president of Network Operations and Engineering at Equinix, an American multinational company that specializes in Internet connection and data centers.
He said this was the second time he and his family had seen the show, adding, “I'd recommend anyone to come and see it.”
Based in New York, Shen Yun presents classical Chinese dance and music.
“It was just magical—the dancing, the colors, the lighting,” Mr. Castle said. “It’s just one of the best shows we’ve ever seen at the theatre, and we’ll come again next year as well.”
Shen Yun presents story-based dances, colorful costumes, an orchestra that combines classical Western and traditional Chinese instruments, and animated backdrops creating unique effects.
“The history learning about China, the performers, the music—there’s not one thing you can call out. It’s a performance beyond all performances.”
Surgeon Felt ‘Overwhelmed’
Tom Browne, a consultant vascular surgeon, said he was “overwhelmed” by Shen Yun.
“I love the color, the drama, the choreography—fantastic,” he said.
Tom Browne at the Shen Yun Performing Arts performance at the Eventim Apollo, in London, on March 5, 2022. (NTD)
He described being fascinated and surprised to learn about the background of the company.
Some Shen Yun artists have suffered persecution by the Communist Party in China for their spiritual beliefs.
In addition to stories about China’s ancient dynasties, Shen Yun also uses dance and music to depict stories from modern China. In particular, it is known for raising awareness of the story of the Chinese regime’s persecution of Falun Dafa, a spiritual movement based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance.
Dr. Brown said that his uncle was a Jesuit priest in China for many years before the Chinese Communist Party came to power, giving him some insight into China’s modern history.
He said he was fascinated to see Shen Yun explore principles relating to the divine, to religion, and to religious freedom, taking inspiration from the performance that “freedom of speech is to be cherished, because it is the higher calling in all of life.”
He said he was particularly interested in the dance titled “Insanity During the End of Days,” which recounts the events surrounding forced organ harvesting in China, which has been documented since 2006.
Dr. Browne said he found it “disturbing” that such things can go on under a regime that could “distort the medicine.”
