SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

‘I Actually Cried’: Lovebirds in Engineering See Shen Yun on Valentines Day Date in Cincinnati

Feb 15, 2025

CINCINNATI—On Feb. 15, Jerry Nichols made good on what he'd promised his wife as a surprise Valentines Day gift: two theater seats and Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Aronoff Center in Cincinnati. After hinting about classical Chinese dancers days earlier, today she saw the show with him, shed tears, and witnessed what the company professes itself to be on billboards—“China before communism.”

Dressed in matching tones of pink and burgundy, the lovebirds beamed smiles during intermission and spoke to The Epoch Times about the experience. Tracy Nichols, who owns a project management company in Mason, Ohio, saw graceful dancers express scenes both fantastical and fatally serious.

“I love the story about the fairy and the farmer’s boy, that made me happy,” Mrs. Nichols said, speaking of one of Shen Yun’s story-based dances. Then she mentioned a scene of contemporary China: “I actually cried when they told the story about the young man who was forced to renounce his faith.”

Being a woman of faith, Mrs. Nichols sympathized with the plight of Chinese people today under communist rule. “It brought tears to my eyes,” she said.

Although New York-based Shen Yun is even brighter and more colorful on stage than its billboards and TV ads, filled with whirling dancers and flowing silk sleeves, the company also isn’t afraid to tell the world what’s happening in modern China. But while it depicts religious persecution committed by today’s communist regime, the show also aspires to something higher. It rises above negativity, as many audience members shared.

The Nichols saw that too.

“The performers are amazing, and the colors are very vibrant,” Mrs. Nichols said. “The music is incredible, and all around, [it’s] just a great story, I love it.”

Mr. Nichols, a project engineer for Atkins Reliance, said he knew very little about Shen Yun until taking in this afternoon’s performance. “It’s wonderful,” he said. “It’s nice to see what they’re going through, through the music, through the dance.”

Also a man of faith, Mr. Nichols says the company’s message “opens our eyes.”

Aside from seeing the flourish of dancers and the costumed communist character foils on stage, the pair also listened to Shen Yun. They bought tickets right up front, near the pit, “because we love the orchestra,” Mrs. Nichols said.

Reporting by Charlie Lu and Michael Wing.

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