Barbara (L) and Kat Douglas attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham on Jan. 4, 2026. Na Zhang/The Epoch Times
BIRMINGHAM, UK—A daughter gifted Shen Yun Performing Arts to her mother as a Christmas present. Both enjoyed the performance immensely as it played at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham on Jan. 4.
Ms. Kat Douglas, an art gallery owner who attended with her mother Barbara, said, “It’s beautiful. It’s beautiful. This is my present, my present for my mum for Christmas.”
Ms. Barbara Douglas took the train to Birmingham to see Shen Yun. She said, “I’ve wanted to see it for the last three years, but [Shen Yun] doesn’t come to Nottingham.”
Her daughter said, “We normally go to the ballet [but] this was spectacular.”
“Very clever,” her mother said.
Shen Yun features the patented use of an animated backdrop that interacts with the performers as they seemingly jump in and out of fantasy landscapes on the screen. “The effects were absolutely brilliant,” Ms. Barbara Douglas said.
Her daughter agreed. “Brilliant, perfect. Bang on timing. We can’t believe how nimble everybody is. The costumes are beautiful. The timing was beautiful. Honestly, all of it was stunning.“
Ms. Kat Douglas said she was very impressed by the Shen Yun Orchestra, which performs live with Shen Yun dancers and soothes audience members with a harmonious blend of Eastern and Western instruments from original music scores.
“I think they got the biggest clap at the end, didn’t they. Very impressive. The whole show is just really well done,” Ms. Kat Douglas said.
Shen Yun’s mission is to revive 5,000 years of traditional culture from “China before communism.”
Asked if the stories from China’s ancient culture are relevant in modern times, Ms. Kat Douglas said, “My gosh, yes. We were saying earlier, society’s lost it. We’ve lost culture. Both of us have travelled a lot in our lifetimes. We just love tradition, and society’s lost it. It’s interesting to see so many young people here as well.”
“I think every country should keep their own traditions and show it to everybody else,” Ms. Barbara Douglas said.
Ms. Kat Douglas especially liked the story in a dance titled “You Reap What You Sow,” which was about the magical transformation of a poor village boy and those who chose to help him.
Her mother said, “I like the fact they introduced some comic [elements] into it. It wasn’t all, you know, very straight.”
Mother and daughter were enthusiastic about recommending Shen Yun to friends and family. “Of course. Yes. Absolutely.”
