SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun an ‘Elevated Experience’ of Joy, Says North Carolina Audience Member

Jan 19, 2025

RALEIGH, N.C.—Ken and Tamara Cook love Shen Yun Performing Arts so much that they’ve made it a family tradition to return for the group’s new production each season, and on Jan. 19, saw their third performance.

“I would say it is an elevated experience. It was very joyful,” said Mrs. Cook. “It invokes a different level of joy.”

Mrs. Cook is a business operations manager, and Mr. Cook is a director in defense contracting. The Cooks brought their young daughter, who is learning dance, to see the performance at the Memorial Auditorium at Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts.

“The choreography is absolutely stunning,” Mrs. Cook said. “It’s truly a magical experience that we love to watch year after year. It’s become a family tradition for us. We love it.”

New York-based Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance company, and in its mission to revive 5,000 years of Chinese civilization, produces an all-new program each year to share with audiences ‘China before communism.’

“It’s so inspiring,” Mr. Cook said. “It’s touching every time.”

“It’s eye-opening. It touches your heart. Every year,” he said.

Mrs. Cook agreed, saying the performance “evokes a lot of emotion.”

“Not only just happiness and joy, there’s so much humor written into this that a lot of people don’t realize, and so it’s wonderfully done. All of it together,“ she said. She added that there was a surprise in the performance right after intermission. ”It’s a tactile experience as well, that people wouldn’t have originally thought, so it’s wonderful.”

The Cooks thought Shen Yun conveyed something positive, and Mrs. Cook summed up her takeaway.

“Really, it’s just kindness to others. Do unto others as you would have others do unto you,” she said.

Reporting by Sherry Dong 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.