Shen Yun

This afternoon we got dressed up in our finery. We had tickets for "Shen Yun" in Woking and the tickets clearly stated that evening dress and business suits were required. We set up the Robo-feeder for Jasper and hopped in the car to potter up to Surrey. For some bizarre reason,  the journey to Woking is one of those trips that the Gorse Fox dislikes. It's fine as far as Guildford, but the last bit from Guildford to Woking winds him up for some reason. Despite this, we arrived without incident, parked and made our way down into the Shopping Centre. We had deliberately arrived with plenty of time to spare so that we could have a leisurely dinner before the show.

We made our way to Cote Brasserie, where the Gorse Fox had pre-booked a table. Settling down, we checked the various menus and bothe selected their ribeye steak. We then spent a very pleasant couple of hours enjoying dinner and chatting to a charming young mum and her daughter at the next table. They too were going to the show.

We paid the bill and headed to the theatre where we found a place in the foyer to sit while waiting for the auditorium to open. As we sat down, the Gorse Fox caught the eye of the chap next to us and realised it was Big Mike from Starfleet. We both spluttered and stood back up to introduce wives and loved ones (though the Gorse Fox only had one wife with him tonight). It was nice to see him and the Gorse Fox was amazed to find he was still working at Starfleet. He thought that he would have retired by now.

We made our way into the auditorium. The Gorse Fox had selected well. Our seats were right in the middle, about eight rows from the stage. The view was perfect. The show began with comperes providing explanations and background in both English and Chinese. Shen Yun is a progression of traditional Chinese dances of different ethnic backgrounds telling different traditional stories. The costumes were stunning silks of vibrant colours, and the dances incorporated grace and elegance with flips, jumps, and acrobatics that would thrill any Olympic Games. The Gorse Fox is not really enthused by dance, as a rule. This, however, was different. This was something that he could really appreciate. The athleticism of the dancers was astounding. The other thing worthy of comment was the set. There was a vast screen covering the whole back of the stage. On this, they mixed both scenes from China's countryside and towns, with live action. It was immensely clever as it appeared that dancers dropped into the screen and floated off, seamlessly, into the scenery beyond.

The show finished at about ten but it took quite a while to get out of the car park. Once on the road, however, the Gorse Fox decided to stick with the A3 instead of heading cross country. It adds about 15 miles to the journey, but it takes about the same time. At this time of night, however, the roads are quiet and he feels the main dual-carriageways are safer than the twisty country roads.

It was a wonderful evening.