WOKING, U.K.—Seeing Shen Yun Performing Arts for the first time at the New Victoria Theatre was “one of the most extraordinary evenings of my life,” said Nick Paterson.
Mr. Paterson, owner of Woodcote House School for Boys, said he was “absolutely blown away” by the performance on Jan. 13.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” he added. “I thought the dancing was fantastic [and] the special effects are extraordinary.”
Mr. Paterson said the values of truth, compassion, and tolerance demonstrated in the dance stories really resonated with him and should be espoused in England as well.
A Lost Culture Returns
Shen Yun’s mission is to revive China’s 5,000-year-old traditional culture after it came close to death under the tyranny of communism following the seizure of power by the Chinese communist regime in 1949. The company says its performance demonstrates “China before communism.”“What was really lovely was that everything was done with a smile … and from the heart,” he said. “That makes so much difference.”
China was once known as “The Land of the Divine,” and Shen Yun presents this culture by drawing upon the Middle Kingdom’s Buddhist and Daoist philosophies. In the past, artists looked to the divine for inspiration and cultivated virtue in order to create uplifting art.
Today, Shen Yun’s artists follow in this noble tradition, which is why audiences feel there is something different about Shen Yun, according to the company’s website.
Every year, Shen Yun presents an entirely new show with new choreography, music, and costumes.
“The fact that it’s going to be done totally differently next year is just wonderful,” said Mr. Paterson. “We will be back!”
“I would love to bring some boys from high school to see it!”
