Shen Yun Performing Arts made its fifth and final performance at Oxford’s New Theatre on Jan. 10, taking the audience on a journey through 5,000 years of Chinese civilization before communism.

Music company director Clair Tomalin said she was in awe.

“Absolutely fantastic showcase of styles and the costumes were just breathtaking,” she said after watching New York-based Shen Yun on Jan. 10.

“I learnt so much tonight. It was just a whole package of fantastic-ness. There wasn’t a moment [where] we weren’t just in awe of what was taking place on stage,” she added.

Alex Brazkiewicz, an osteopath and acupuncturist, was deeply impressed. “The skill and control of the practitioners there is phenomenal. The blending of both the western music and eastern music together was wonderful,” he said.

Shen Yun is on a mission to remind the world of “China before communism.”

In ancient China, people believed that culture and many aspects of it—such as art and literary works—were gifts from the heavens. This belief played a guiding role throughout society.

In 1949, the Chinese Communist Party seized power and launched a decades-long effort to systematically destroy China’s traditional culture. Shen Yun’s mission is to revive this ancient and rich culture.

“It’s lovely to see that spiritual side of things that is shown historically and then being brought into the present day,” clinic owner Trevayne Cox said. “It’s really beautiful, so I would highly recommend anybody coming to see it.”

She added, “I think the original spiritual practices that they had and all the meditation and expressing things through dance and movement generally, their exercise regimes that they used to have … they are still so important in this day and age—and probably even more important to balance up our technology that we have in the world.”

NTD News, Oxford, UK

NTD is a media sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts, covering audience reactions since 2006.

From NTD News