SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

‘Classical Theatrics at Its Best,’ University Park Mayor Says After Seeing Shen Yun

Apr 13, 2025

4/13/2025Updated: 4/14/2025

UNIVERSITY PARK, Ill.—It is a performance that offers an awesome experience that is worth seeing more than once, University Park Mayor Joseph E. Roudez III said, after seeing Shen Yun Performing Arts at The Center for Performing Arts at Governors State University on April 12.

“The storyline is phenomenal. The colors are so brilliant,” Mr. Roudez said. “It goes back and shows about 5,000 years of Chinese history and things that they cannot do in China that we’re able to see here in the United States. That’s phenomenal to me.”

Shen Yun, which is headquartered in New York, has made it its mission to revive the traditional Chinese culture, which lasted 5,000 years before the Chinese Communist Party seized mainland China. The performing arts company explains on its website that the wisdom found in ancient Chinese civilization can benefit anyone, regardless of one’s belief system.

Mr. Roudez said he sat very close to the orchestra that accompanied the dancers on stage. He said the orchestral music he had heard was phenomenal, and it was also great seeing some old Chinese instruments.

Shen Yun’s orchestra is one-of-a-kind, with its unique combination of Western and Eastern instruments. According to the company’s website, Chinese instruments “present a challenge when balancing with the orchestra.”

“Since the sounds of these instruments are so distinct and expressive, they don’t easily blend in with other instruments, and require use of special arrangement techniques by Shen Yun’s composers,” Shen Yun states.

One of the Chinese instruments is a two-stringed instrument called the erhu, which Shen Yun says has a history of over 4,000 years and is considered the instrument most resembling the human voice.

“Whoever puts those things together, and the dancers, and everything is just phenomenal,” he said.

Mr. Roudez encouraged people to go to see Shen Yun.

“If you have not seen the show, go see it. Even if you have seen the show, it changes every year. Don’t cheat yourself of the opportunity to see Chinese history at its finest, classical theatrics at its best,” he said.

Shen Yun embarked on its 18th global tour last December. In a press release announcing its 2025 tour, Shen Yun says that its choreographers create new works of dance for each year’s performance.

“Since its inception [in 2006], Shen Yun has presented over 300 world premiere dance pieces, each with its own original music, costumes, and backdrop,” Shen Yun says.

“What a great, awesome, awesome experience,” Mr. Roudez said.

Reporting by NTD and Frank Fang.

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