SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

‘Phenomenal’: Houston Theatergoers Love Shen Yun

Jan 29, 2025

HOUSTON—“It’s phenomenal,” Mary Atkinson said after watching Shen Yun at Jones Hall for the Performing Arts on Jan. 27 with her husband, Jason Atkinson.

“I love the dance, the traditional Chinese movements. It’s fantastic,” she said.

“The athleticism of the men’s dance is phenomenal,” she said.

New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance company. At the heart of Shen Yun’s performance is classical Chinese dance, a comprehensive dance system developed through centuries of refinement. It is one of the world’s most athletic and expressive art forms.

While the Atkinsons have both had successful careers in the oil and gas supply chain industry, Mrs. Atkinson said she also has some dance experience. “I’ve been in the dance world for a very long time ... not much in ballet, but mainly in jazz,” she said.

They liked the sound of the Shen Yun Orchestra, which combines traditional Western and Eastern instruments, producing a very unique sound.

Mr. Atkinson said, “I like the sound of the Chinese instruments.” Mrs. Atkinson loved “the traditional sounds in a mix with some of the contemporary instruments. It’s beautiful together.”

Through music and dance, Shen Yun seeks to revive 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture. By showing the world what China was like before communism, Shen Yun also brings traditional values to life on stage.

“I love the costumes,” said Mrs. Atkinson, especially their traditional styles and the “flowiness of the skirts”, which she said were beautiful.

Shen Yun’s digital backdrop features a patented technology that creates vividly animated settings, extending the stage and transporting the audience through time and space to China’s vastly diverse regions and ancient dynasties.

“I think it’s actually very, very neat the way the dancers drop off into the background and then come back into it to tell a full story. It’s nicely done,” Mrs. Atkinson said of the digital backdrop.

She said she was moved by the dance drama depicting the love story between a village boy and a fairy. “I love the love story of, you know, being able to be connected in the heavenly space. I love that because true love conquers all.”

Reporting by Sonia Wu and Sophia 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.