SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun Is ‘So Professional and Incredibly Precise,’ Says Musician

Apr 01, 2023

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J.—Nick Martin, who is an orchestral musician and a public school educator, attended the second of Shen Yun’s four consecutive performances at State Theatre New Jersey on March 31.

At the conclusion of the evening, Mr. Martin said enthusiastically that he “really appreciated the originality and beauty of the connection” between Shen Yun’s dancers and the orchestra.

“The way they interacted is amazing, quite frankly. The precision and the flow of the mood—it created a certain psychological sense of connectedness to everything!”

“I think the music and the dancers were incredibly well put together. I loved it. I’m learning a lot. I’ve never seen anything like this before. It’s so interesting and beautiful and original and different. It’s a gorgeous thing,” he said.

Shen Yun Performing Arts was founded in 2006 by leading Chinese artists seeking to revive China’s 5,000 years of traditional culture. Up until the 1949 communist takeover, its people were very spiritual and had a deep respect for the divine.

These New York-based artists are dedicated to presenting a brand-new set of programs every year to share with their audience the beauty of China before communism. For the 2023 touring season, the company is slated to perform in over 180 cities around the world.

For the performance, Mr. Martin chose a seat next to the orchestra pit to catch every detail of the music.

Not only was it “wonderful to hear interpretations of orchestral music with Chinese influences,” he thought Shen Yun musicians were beautiful.

“They really are so professional and incredibly precise. They are some of the best orchestra musicians I’ve heard. They’re very good.”

According to its website, Shen Yun is the first in the world to permanently combine Western and Chinese instruments.

Using classical Western orchestration as the foundation, Shen Yun’s original compositions highlight traditional Chinese instruments such as the two-stringed erhu and the pipa—an ancient Chinese lute—bringing to its audience the best of both worlds.

Mr. Martin absolutely loved this seamless union and thought the music brought him peace and serenity.

“It’s very natural. That’s a nice thing about it—you can hear each part of the orchestra very clearly. The Chinese instruments fit in so well with the rest of the beautiful [music.] It’s lovely, I’m just enjoying it a lot,” he said.

“It’s very calming and peaceful. It’s relaxing and beautiful and spiritual in a different way than what I’ve experienced in churches.”

In addition to classical Chinese and folk dances, Shen Yun includes solo musical performances as well as story-based dances that tell tales ranging from ancient times to the modern day.

Though Mr. Martin is not familiar with Chinese history, he thought the legends were very interesting and made him want to learn more.

“They made me want to go visit China but I know it’s communist right now—that’s a terrible thing. I guess [Shen Yun] may be the only place I could experience this culture.”

Mr. Martin’s takeaway for the evening is that traditional Chinese culture is from the heart. “It’s soulful and natural and peaceful,” and closely connected to humanity, he said.

Reporting by Weiyong Zhu and Jennifer Tseng.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.