OXFORD, UK—Many people are often surprised when they learn that Shen Yun Performing Arts is unable to perform in China. After seeing the performance, John and Sophie Steele had to ask why a government would feel threatened by a group of people who want to do the right thing.
John Steele, who was awarded an OBE after an illustrious career in sport and is now a company director, shared that the dance portraying the persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners resonated with him.
“The oppression, which the narrator said still exists today, that resonated [with me],” said Mr. Steele.
Falun Dafa teaches truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance as its three main principles. When Falun Dafa became highly popular in China, the head of state felt threatened by its popularity and launched a persecution campaign against the practice in 1999.
“I don’t know how anyone can find anything like that remotely threatening … They want to do the right thing. So it’s interesting to think that somebody wants to oppress that, and I don’t really understand why that would be,” said Mrs. Steele, an occupational therapist.
China has 5,000 years of history, while the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is only 100 years old. Yet, in these short 100 years, the CCP has managed to destroy and distort China’s vast and deep culture.
“We know in this culture—ancient Chinese medicine, history, beliefs—they seem to go back a lot further than ours, and there’s a wisdom to them. It is very sad to see them trying to be erased—hopefully, unsuccessfully—by the regime. But I think we could learn a lot from the Chinese ancient culture,” said Mr. Steele.
Shen Yun is based in New York, and its artists are dedicated to reviving the 5,000 years of civilization so that the world can see what China was like before communism.
“There’s a lot of tradition here, but there’s lots of history as well. Just learning about the past is really important. Bring some of that back,” said Mrs. Steele.
Chinese history is overflowing with stories of miracles, clever monks, brave generals, and loyal subjects. Each story presented by Shen Yun is told through classical Chinese dance, one of the most comprehensive dance systems in the world.
“There’s not anything I don’t like,” said Mr. Steele.
“I’m really loving the tradition and the color. The movements are amazing—mesmerizing actually,” added Mrs. Steele.
Shen Yun puts on an all-new production every year. In each new season, the artists rehearse every detail until everything flows flawlessly.
“The way that the dancers coordinate with each other is really amazing. It has to be very precise. I think it’s really amazing to watch,” expressed Mrs. Steele.
Reporting by Chloe Hsiao and Maria Han
From The Epoch Times
