SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Professor and Psychiatrist See Shen Yun Every Year: ‘Number One in the World’

Mar 01, 2025

WASHINGTON—Law professor Winston Haythe first saw Shen Yun Performing Arts in 2006, the year it was formed, and has been attending Shen Yun performances ever since, appreciating the positive message he saw in the performance.

“I think it provides a wonderful mix of reminders of the modern day and the 5,000-year history. And when it juxtaposes evil versus good, good always wins,” said Mr. Haythe at the Kennedy Center on Feb. 28. He attended the performance with his good friend and fellow patron of the arts Erminia Scarcella, a psychiatrist at George Washington University.

“I think a message of hope right now is essential. It really, really is,” he added.

“I love it,” Ms. Scarcella said. “I love it because it was such a gentle way. It was such a gentle way to communicate about problems.”

“And the incredible capacity to dance is, I think, is number one in the world. This kind of a movement with the legs is unbelievable,” she added.

New York-based Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance company, known for revitalizing the ancient art in its most authentic form and bringing it to the world’s stage. Famously expressive, classical Chinese dance also requires the high-level tumbling techniques, like flips, leaps, and spins, that have since inspired modern sports, including gymnastics and acrobatics.

Through music and dance, Shen Yun aims to revive 5,000 years of Chinese civilization, sharing with audiences the beauty of China before communism.

Mr. Haythe said that even after attending Shen Yun for more than 10 years, year after year, he was still amazed every time.

In particular, a unique part of the production uses digital projection to create a backdrop which has evolved to the point that “sometimes it’s hard to distinguish the reality,” Mr. Haythe added. “The way they, too, interpose, it’s fabulous.”

“I’m amazed at the split-second timing throughout,” he added.

“What was not real, it became real,” Ms. Scarcella agreed. “I mean, it’s unbelievable, but when they fly on the sky, it looks like they are flying, because the transition from reality to imagination was unbelievable. It’s done perfectly well. You don’t separate what is real, what is construction from being.”

“The way they dance, for me, are the best in the world,” Ms. Scarcella added. “Absolutely,” Mr. Haythe agreed.

“And there’s just the right amount of comic relief on occasion,” Mr. Haythe added, recalling certain details that had the audience bursting into laughter. “It was just cute as could be. So, I think you’ve got a huge, huge success here.”

Reporting by Terri Wu and Catherine Yang.

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