SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun Impresses Dancer: ‘I Thought It Was Gorgeous’

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Shen Yun Impresses Dancer: ‘I Thought It Was Gorgeous’
Jessie Mortillaro watched Shen Yun Performing Arts at The Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore, Maryland on March 15, 2025. Jenny Jing/The Epoch Times
Epoch Newsroom
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BALTIMORE—Jessie Mortillaro, a dancer, watched Shen Yun Performing Arts at The Hippodrome Theatre on March 15.

“I thought it was gorgeous,” Ms. Mortillaro said. “The way that they were all able to move in unison was just stunning.”

Based in New York, Shen Yun was founded in 2006 and is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company. Since its inception, Shen Yun has expanded from one to eight equally sized companies that tour around the world simultaneously, reviving traditional Chinese culture and showcasing the beauty of “China before communism.”

Ms. Mortillaro complimented Shen Yun’s male dancers’ techniques.

“The male dancers, their tricks were really phenomenal and they were able to incorporate classical techniques while doing those really advanced tricks, which takes a lot of strength,” Ms. Mortillaro said.

As a dancer herself, Ms. Mortillaro was able to highlight some differences between classical Chinese dance and the Eurocentric dance forms she was more familiar with.
“It was really interesting [because] in Eurocentric dance, we always spot out when we turn. In Chinese dance, I noticed they were spotting at the floor a lot, but they could turn a lot more than we could, so I thought that was really interesting.”

“And the walks—I noticed their walks are very particular so that they don’t bounce at all when they move,” Ms. Mortillaro observed. “I thought that was really interesting too.”

Ms. Mortillaro also noted the female dancers’ flexibility and was impressed by the water sleeves dance.

“I was really impressed by how they caught their sleeves inside their sleeves,” Ms. Mortillaro said. “Very impressive how they were able to use their costumes in the dance.”

Shen Yun depicts the spiritual elements that form the foundation of traditional Chinese culture. Ms. Mortillaro appreciated “how they showed it in such a positive light” and liked “that they were showcasing their beliefs in a way that was very uplifting.”

As someone who grew up Christian, Ms. Mortillaro saw some common values in Shen Yun’s performance.

“What I saw is to be kind, to be generous,” she said.

Reporting by Jenny Jing 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.

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