SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun a Unique Cultural Experience for Raleigh Theatergoers

Jan 22, 2024

RALEIGH, N.C.—Retired doctor Tim Swank and marketing product manager Nada McKinney watched Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Memorial Auditorium at Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts on Jan. 21.

“I love the show,” Ms. McKinney said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Based in New York, Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company. Since its inception in 2006, Shen Yun has expanded from one to eight equally sized companies that tour the world to showcase “China before communism.”

“They’re so talented,” Ms. McKinney said. “All these people … they’re very, very talented, very athletic, very beautiful, both artistic and athletic—it’s great.”

Ms. McKinney said that she had never seen a backdrop like Shen Yun’s patented animated backdrop before. The animated backdrop allows the performers to move between the stage and background seamlessly.

Ms. McKinney also shared her appreciation for Shen Yun’s mission to revive traditional Chinese culture, which was nearly lost after the Chinese Communist Party took power in China.

“I think they’re trying to portray the tradition and the respect of the tradition, and teaching understanding and respect of different people’s traditions. That’s the message I was getting; to respect it and to preserve it, and to not let it be overpowered by the pressures of the modern world.”

Mr. Swank acknowledged the uniqueness of Shen Yun’s performance.

“I think the experience of seeing a cultural and historical type of performance like this is very unique, you know, it’s something you wouldn’t see in any other venue.”

‘The Value is Highly There’

Thomas Oran and Thien Hoang attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts in Raleigh, N.C., on Jan. 21, 2024. (Nancy Han/The Epoch Times) — Thomas Oran and Thien Hoang attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts in Raleigh, N.C., on Jan. 21, 2024. Nancy Han/The Epoch Times

Also in the audience were IT executives Thomas Oran and Thien Hoang. They both said they enjoyed the performance.

“It’s very warm, very empathetic,” Mr. Oran said. “There’s a lot of sharing, a lot of culture, a lot of information that I was unaware of, which was very enlightening. The dancers are amazing, and the story is very beautiful.”

Shen Yun’s program includes story-based dances, some of which are based in modern-day China and depict the Chinese government’s persecution of followers of faith.

“I’m unaware of the challenges that people have had in China, and to [see] their culture and … what they’ve been through and persevered and overcome has been very enlightening,” Mr. Oran said.

“I would definitely recommend it,” he said. “Definitely come for knowledge and information and sharing and compassion, and also a very wonderful cultural experience and also entertainment. The value is highly there.”

Reporting by Henry Chen, Nancy Han, and Wandi Zhu.

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