SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

‘All the Stories in Shen Yun Were Amazing,’ Says Physician

Mar 02, 2025

McALLEN, Texas—Reinaldo Morales, a general surgeon, and his wife Whitney, a nurse, experienced Shen Yun Performing Arts for the first time on March 1, at the McAllen Performing Arts Center—and they’ve already decided to come back for more.

“I loved it, I loved it. The set, the costumes, the dancing—everything was amazing,” Mr. Morales exclaimed. “The artistry and the choreography were just fantastic. The music was amazing.”

Based in New York, Shen Yun was founded in 2006 by a group of leading Chinese artists who had fled the persecution of China’s ruling communist party. Following the regime’s violent takeover in 1949, Chinese traditional culture underwent a period of mass destruction.

The couple loved that the artists are committed to bringing back China’s 5,000 years of divinely inspired culture and showcasing to the world, beauty before communism.

“I love the different stories—whether it was helping out those less fortunate, striving to have kindness and equality, and having the divine beings impart that on the people—all the stories were amazing,” Mr. Morales said.

Mrs. Morales, too, said she “definitely learned a lot” and the “kindness that we saw throughout all the scenes was really powerful.”

“We will definitely be back,” she expressed. “Oh, just no words. They were beautiful.”

The performance features a series of short pieces that guide the audience through China’s rich dynasties and diverse landscapes. Using classical Chinese dance, ethnic, and folk dances, as well as solo musical performances, Shen Yun’s artists have captivated audiences since 2006.

Mr. Morales particularly enjoyed the historical story-dance about a war-weary commander finding redemption through spiritual cultivation.

“I just loved that story and the message behind it. The story of redemption—being able to turn your life around from violence and moving towards selflessness, and understanding how you can be kind of at peace with everybody was the biggest message I got from that,” he said.

Moreover, Mrs. Morales said the artists are “very courageous” for presenting their present-day dance pieces that raise awareness about the ongoing persecution of people of faith in China under the ruling communist regime.

“I just thought they were so brave to really enlighten us and bring that to our attention because I didn’t know about the history in China and how they were being persecuted for their beliefs. So, it was really enlightening for me to see that,” she commented

Mr. Morales urges the performers to continue to speak out about current events.

“It’s amazing. … Keep putting it in the music and the artistry, that’s the way that we get public awareness of all that’s going on with it.”

Finally, he would like to give his thanks to the performers.

“Definitely we appreciate the hard work,” Mr. Morales said. “I know this has to be hundreds of hours of practice and training that go into this, and everything was amazing.”

Reporting by NTD 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.