Ann Hayes and Peter D’Costa enjoyed Shen Yun Performing Arts at Eventim Apollo, in London, on Feb. 2, 2024. (Mary Mann/The Epoch/Times)
LONDON, UK—Peter D’Costa, a retired Department of the Environment executive, was among the audience who watched the Shen Yun Performing Arts give a stirring performance at the Eventim Apollo on Feb. 2.
Mr. D’Costa, a Member of the British Empire (MBE) awardee, saw Shen Yun with Anne Hayes. He said Shen Yun was incredible.
“The choreography and the actual scenery at the back, you know, was tremendous,” Mr. D’Costa said.
“And the coordination of everything was unbelievable. Timing was all split second. They couldn’t make a mistake at all. So they have to be perfect.”
Ms. Hayes especially enjoyed the two-stringed bowed erhu, which sounded like a human voice. Mr. D’Costa agreed. “Fantastic. Just unbelievable,” he said.
Mr. D’Costa said the world can support Shen Yun’s efforts to bring back China’s traditional culture before communism. “It’s very good,” he said. “Actually. People can learn from all this. They come, and they can see it. And they can go back and think about it and change their lives.”
He said how traditional values can grow and plant themselves in today’s culture. “It’s like most things. They start off small, like a seed, and then grow. Before you know it, it spreads around the world.”
With eight companies now touring the world, awareness of Shen Yun’s message is growing. With shows scheduled in over 200 cities and across five continents, the 2024 touring season is shaping up to be the artists’ busiest yet.
Mr. D’Costa agreed the world needs to be saved from many troubles.
“[Shen Yun] really is wonderful, especially at the time—now when the world has so many problems of war and corruption. We need something to sort of bring people back to reality,” he said.
CFO Felt ‘Compassion Coming Through the Dance’
Raju and Sangeeta Haldankar attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at Eventim Apollo in London on Feb. 2, 2024. (Mary Mann/The Epoch Times)
Raju and Sangeeta Haldankar also watched Shen Yun on Feb. 2.
Mrs. Handankar said that she has wanted to see it for the last five years and finally was able to attend on the couple’s wedding anniversary.
She said her husband booked Shen Yun tickets “because that was one of my to-do lists: to see the show.”
Mr. Haldankar, a chief financial officer, said: “[Shen Yun] was very colorful ... Everything’s really choreographed very nicely.”
The dances had a universal quality that Mrs. Haldankar appreciated because her daughter also dances.
She said her daughter “does tai chi, and she does dance,” and knows how hard it is to master the moves of the Shen Yun dancers.
Through classical Chinese dance and music, Shen Yun is sharing with the world the beauty of China’s authentic 5,000 years of history. Since its founding in 2006, the company has received worldwide accolades for its mission to revive traditional Chinese culture.
Mr. Haldankar was amazed at the many sounds coming from the erhu. “The amount of different sounds from just two strings...” he said.
Mr. Haldankar noted that Shen Yun cannot perform in China but thought it interesting how Shen Yun continues to perform around the world. He liked how traditional culture is presented, and devotion to the Creator is at the forefront. The dances brought out this message, he said.
He could feel the “compassion coming through the dance.”
