BOURNEMOUTH, UK—The Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre was alive with expectation on March 5 as the curtain opened for a new season of Shen Yun Performing Arts.
“It is wow. I think I am really impressed. The color combinations in the costumes are very exquisite, and I think it’s an interesting blend of animation with real-life performances. That works well, and I think we have good seats as well with the orchestra,” said Minesh Khashu, a doctor with the National Health Service.
Mr. Khashu and Ms. Bhargava said “Yes, yes, yes” to the idea that human beings are from heaven and need to behave to return.
“We originally come from India,” Mr. Khashu said. “So we come from a spiritual world. So I think spiritually—I think that’s another connection we find is quite nice.”
Shen Yun’s mission is to revive 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture before communism. China’s history holds a treasure trove of moral stories and divine legends that Shen Yun shares in their performance.
“We should know a country for everything it represents rather than what it is and current condition. Reviving an old heritage is very, very important, so everybody in the world knows China the way it has been,” Ms. Bhargava said.
Like his Indian heritage, Mr. Khashu said, “I think the Chinese heritage is thousands of years old, similar to Indian heritage. There’s a lot of richness and a lot of wisdom in those cultures, which is important for today’s world.
“We see a lot of conflict and a lot of wrongdoing in the world today. So I think there’s a lot of wisdom, a lot of spirituality in cultures like the Chinese, like the Indians, and some other old cultures, as well. The more we learn from the past, the better the future will be.”
Uplifting Color
It’s been noted that the beautiful colors of the costumes and the set are uplifting, therapeutic, and have a healing quality.Mr. Khashu said, “Yeah, it elevates your mood. I think it sort of takes you to a different place.
“It is actually the vibrancy of the colors,” Ms. Bhargava said. “They’re quite nice and bright colors, but they are very pleasing to the eye.”
And it’s quite diverse, as well, so it gives you different areas and different ethnicities in China,” Mr. Khashu said.
Mr. Khashu had encouraging words for the performers. “I would say, ‘well done. It’s been a great performance. I’m really moved by the way it’s been choreographed.’
“I especially would like to congratulate the persons responsible for costume design, the persons responsible for music, and even [those] who incorporated the latest edge technology animation with traditional work. I would say it’s an amalgamation of both worlds—traditional [that’s] thousands of years old with the latest animation technology. So well done,” he said.
“I agree,” said Ms. Bhargava. “I really liked their smiling faces and beautiful expressions. Everybody is putting in 100%. It’s really great. Bravo.”