LONDON—Shen Yun is immersing people in authentic Chinese culture around the world, through music and dance.

For Keith Kelleher, a retired barrister who specialised in criminal law, the values portrayed in Shen Yun were universal—and he could feel the joy.

“Such traditional values which we’ve lost—values of discipline and hard work and commitment and a joy in what [you’re] doing—and portraying that joy to the audience is very inspiring,” he said.

Kelleher said he was moved by the inner beauty and purity of the performers, after watching Shen Yun at London’s Eventim Apollo on April 27.

“The energy and the love. I’m feeling the love,” he said.

He was especially struck by the lyrics from one of the singers.

“When the tenor sang that song I found that very moving. Your destiny is now and you’ve got to take hold of it and enjoy it now,” he said.

“I just think it’s so lovely to see people who want to share that which is good, that which is joyous, because we seem to have lost so much of that goodness and joy in our world,” he said. “It’s lovely to see people who are prepared to share that with others and maybe it can spread.”

According to the program book, Shen Yun artists draw inspiration from the spiritual discipline Falun Dafa and strive to live by the principles of truth, compassion, and tolerance.

In one of the story-based dances, the artists depict the persecution of Falun Dafa, which has been suppressed in China since 1999.

Kelleher said it was sad that Shen Yun couldn’t repeat their performance in China.

“Any country that restricts freedoms of their people is something that lets us all down, I believe. Because we are all one people on one world, are we not. Why we all can’t live free and happy together I have no idea,“ he said. ”We have freedoms here that we take for granted and we just don’t realise what other people have to endure.”

“I thought that was very sad and that somehow maybe the people in China were missing out on what we were able to enjoy here tonight,” he said.