SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Former Professional Ballerina Praises Shen Yun: ‘I’ve Never Seen Anything Like It’

Jan 06, 2025

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.—On Jan. 5, Lauren Lafleur, a real estate owner and former professional ballerina, with her father, Kent Lafleur, watched Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts’ Au-Rene Theatre.

As a former professional dancer, Ms. Lafleur was able to appreciate the level of expertise Shen Yun’s dancers exhibited.

“It’s a beautiful performance,” she said. “They have incredible technique. The costumes are amazing. It’s just very entertaining to watch and they’re very talented. ... I’ve never seen Chinese dance style in person, and they’re very precise.”

“It’s awesome,” Mr. Lafleur said. “It’s really something special. The danc[ing] is phenomenal.”

Since its inception in 2006, New York-based Shen Yun has grown from one to eight equally-sized companies that tour the world simultaneously, realizing its mission to revive 5,000 years of Chinese civilization and show the world what China was like before communism through classical Chinese dance and music.

“It’s really, really well done, well put together,” Mr. Lafleur said. “We’re very impressed with the whole culture. It’s very well done, no mistakes.”

Besides classical Chinese dance, Shen Yun’s program also includes ethnic and folk dances. Ms. Lafleur was impressed by the variety of different dance styles performed.

“I love how they have so many different types of [dance] styles, which is really interesting,” she said. “Every different number is so spectacular. The choreography with the skirts and the sleeves and the technique all together is just incredible. ... The choreography with the skirts that’s tricky. It’s very advanced, and they are incredible.”

Shen Yun’s performance depicts the spiritual elements of traditional Chinese culture, which is deeply rooted in Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. For this reason, Shen Yun is not allowed to perform in China, which is controlled by the Chinese Communist Party’s atheist ideologies. Mr. Lafleur expressed his appreciation for the spirituality in Chinese culture that he saw in Shen Yun.

“I think the theme is awesome, it’s very nice,” he said. “I love the spiritual ... the level of the culture and the spirit and how [Shen Yun] brings it. It’s unfortunate that they can’t show a show like this in China.”

Mr. Lafleur shared that before going to the theatre, he and his daughter had watched the trailer, yet when the curtain went up, what he saw live surpassed what he saw on television.

“It surpasses, in real life, it surpasses the trailer,” he said. “They really are great athletes, great actors. ... The whole crew is phenomenal.”

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Ms. Lafleur. “It’s very interesting to see from another culture. [There’s] just so much heart and soul in the performances, and it’s awesome.”

Reporting by Nancy Ma and Wandi Zhu.

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