SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun Is ‘A Divine Story From Start to Finish,’ Says Denver Theatergoer

Apr 05, 2025

4/5/2025Updated: 4/5/2025

DENVER—Compliance officer Nathan Ross and his wife, Patricia, a company manager, had a wonderful time at Shen Yun Performing Arts’ evening show at the Buell Theatre on April 4.

“It was beautiful, amazing, artistic, and just a divine story from start to finish,” Mr. Ross exclaimed. The costumes are “incredible. Just very bright, sparkly, visual, [the] quality was well-made.”

Based in New York, Shen Yun artists are masters of classical Chinese dance, an ancient and highly expressive art form dating back thousands of years. Unlike the modern, military-influenced styles often seen in China today, Shen Yun preserves and performs this tradition in its most authentic form, as it was originally passed down through generations.

According to its website, the name ‘Shen Yun” translates directly into “the beauty of divine beings dancing.” Mr. Ross couldn’t agree more. He was deeply impressed by the skill of the performers and said they’re “out of this world.”

“I never saw such skill and talent like that. I’m sure they spend their whole lives learning how to dance like that. Just very grateful I get to see it,” he added.

Mr. Ross especially enjoyed the Mongolian ethnic dance, the classic women’s dance, and the story-based dance that recounted the return of the Creator to help humanity in times of trouble.

“It was beautiful,” he said. “Those are all wonderful. It had me on the edge of my seat, giving tingles and shivers on my spine the whole time.”

Coupled with a 3D animated backdrop that collaborates seamlessly with the live orchestra and performers on stage, Shen Yun recounts legends from ancient times to the present day.

“Incredible technology, great artwork. The seamless practice and acting between the live performance and getting the backdrop to sync with. It’s extraordinary,” Mr. Ross said.

Mrs. Ross also had a great time. She loved the amount of culture displayed in the show and found it to be a very educational experience.

“It was wonderful. I’ve never seen anything like that before,” she said. “I love the costumes and the music that stood out for me for sure.”

Traditional Chinese culture was amazing. “I definitely learned a lot that I didn’t know. Especially the musical instruments—I didn’t know their names and what they sound like. It was definitely good to learn that.”

A spiritual man, Mr. Ross loved the divine element of Shen Yun. He thought it was “a profound experience” and lamented that people of faith are still being persecuted in communist China.

“It’s interesting to see it with my own eyes, what their interpretation of [spirituality] was,” he said. “It’s a travesty that the communist takeover has led to the religious suppression in China. I think that [having] a platform for art to make its way into the mainstream and remind people where we come from—it’s very important.”

Reporting by Sonia Wu and Jennifer Tseng.

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