“What’s now happening in China, there’s a lot of people who aren’t very happy about that but they can’t express themselves and I think, through what I’m seeing today, I’m seeing them expressing themselves the way a lot of people in China perhaps would like to express themselves,” said Lachlan Gunn, a company director, after seeing a performance at the Edinburgh Playhouse on Jan. 12.

“I feel very sad that it can’t be seen in mainland China,” he said.

“But by doing it this way and by what [Shen Yun is] doing today, hopefully more and more people around the world will get to hear about this. The wider this message can be pushed in this wonderful way, the better for everybody.”

“At the same time, it’s very uplifting. I’ve seen Chinese dance before, but never this way! It’s really inspirational, and I particularly like the way that they’ve ’meshed' in the traditional dance with the modern electronics, and that’s something I’ve never seen before, live, and I think it’s fantastic,” he said.

“I think it’s bursting with energy. They’re all really clearly passionate, they’re incredibly agile, they’re acrobats, as well as being dancers,” said Mr. Gunn.

“I really enjoyed the tenor, the way he sang very passionately. It was very nice to be able to read the words as he was singing them. It brought it all to life,” Mr. Gunn shared.

“We were told to expect something spectacular and one is always a bit cynical,” he said. “And then all the cynicism went away, and now I’m thoroughly enjoying it.”