SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Anesthesiologist Finds Hope in Shen Yun: ‘It Is Very Uplifting’

SHARE
Anesthesiologist Finds Hope in Shen Yun: ‘It Is Very Uplifting’
Dr. Russ Maiolino and his wife, Gina Maiolino, at Shen Yun Performing Arts at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido, on March 15, 2025. Jane Yang /The Epoch Times
Epoch Newsroom
Updated:
ESCONDIDO, Calif.—Dr. Russ Maiolino appreciated the beauty of this year’s Shen Yun at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido.

“The sheer beauty of it, the physicality of how athletic they were and how coordinated they were, it just showed tremendous talent,” said Dr. Maiolino, a CRNA anesthesiologist, after watching the performance Saturday evening. “And it’s very uplifting, very hopeful for people to see. There’s a lot of spirit in it.”

He saw in the performance something that has been lost. “That culture that existed before dark times,” he said, noting that Shen Yun brings it back to life.

“They really did a good job bringing that all out,” he said.

New York-based Shen Yun’s mission is to revive 5,000 years of Chinese civilization through music and dance and share with audiences China before communism—a key reason Shen Yun is banned from performing in China by the communist regime.

Dr. Maiolino says it is invigorating for people to see and learn outside of China.

“How beautiful the culture is, how old it is—5,000 years old,” he said. “All of the spirit inside the people’s beliefs, culture, and strengths, the strength that they have.”

He also appreciated the dancing which appeared throughout the performance.

“The dancing—the choreography—was really wonderful,” he said.

The performance imbues its attendees with hope in the goodness in humanity, which is inherently good. “And a lot of faith that humanity will overcome dark times,” he said. “ And so, it gives anyone hope—no matter what part of the world you’re in.”

God made us in his image, said Dr. Maiolino. “And so why can’t you have a divinity in all of us? That’s your soul, right?”

Reporting by Jane Yang and Kimberly Hayek.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
SHARE

Editor's Picks

See More