SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Nonprofit Director Resonates With Shen Yun Performers’ Spirituality

Apr 13, 2025

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

UNIVERSITY PARK, Ill.—A nonprofit director said he was very inspired even though he came from a different background than what was shown on stage at The Center for Performing Arts at Governors State University on April 12.

Juan Carlos Hernandez, a professional fundraiser working for a nonprofit, was among those in the audience who saw Shen Yun Performing Arts on Saturday.

“It was a great show. It was very beautiful. I mean, I’ve seen the advertisements on YouTube, but I didn’t really know what to expect. And beyond that, and it’s just really impressive, the talent, the precision, the beauty. It’s really inspiring. It’s beautiful,” Mr. Hernandez said.

As a Christian, he said he saw the lights of truth in other faiths. As for Shen Yun, he explained that he understood the spirituality behind the performance was rooted in Buddhism.

“I know very little about Buddhism, but what I know is, it’s about enlightenment and living desire. I think that comes across, the full expression of the human being, it was really beautiful,” he added.

Shen Yun, which is based in New York and founded in 2006, has dedicated itself to the mission of reviving traditional Chinese culture, which has been all but lost in communist-ruled China. According to the performing arts company’s website, Buddhism, Taoism, and other disciplines were integral parts of Chinese society for thousands of years.

“People lived by principles such as benevolence and justice, propriety and wisdom, respect for the heavens, and divine retribution,” Shen Yun says on its website.

Shen Yun’s mission should fill the void in modern society as people are lost in phones and ideologies, Mr. Hernandez said.

“I think going to my own Catholic roots, beauty, truth, and goodness really bring out the human soul. And anything that is beautiful, anything that is good, anything that is true, we find God there,” he said. So I think you see some of that light here in this show as well.”

“We are created beings with soul and body, and I think that certainly comes through in their performance,” he added.

Shen Yun performers follow a history of artists incorporating spirituality into their work, the company says on its website, by drawing inspiration from the teachings, discipline, and guidance of Falun Gong, a spiritual practice that revolves around the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance.

“For our performers, practicing Falun Dafa is more than just meditation. It’s a state of mind that guides daily life, oriented toward self-betterment, taking responsibility, and putting others first,” Shen Yun says on its website.

Mr. Hernandez said he felt the performers communicating “their spirit and their heart” to the audience during the performance.

Reporting by Stacey Tang 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.