SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun Is ‘More Than Just a Performance,' Says Former Dancer

Feb 01, 2025

SACRAMENTO, Calif.—Matt Howell, an orchestral conductor, and his wife, Mary, a former dancer, attended Shen Yun Performing Arts on Jan. 31, at the SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center. They were joined by John Whetton, a retired CEO, and his wife, Becky, a retired ballerina. The two families drove for hours just to see the performance—and they were not disappointed.

“This company is so different [from] anything I’ve ever seen. They’re full of light and happiness, and the precision is amazing,” Mrs. Howell expressed.

Moreover, she loved the program depicting the Creator descending from heaven to help mankind.

“That was reassuring. It almost made me cry. It was very good. We need this message now in our time. I want to see it more. I want to see it every year,” she said, adding that she’s very impressed by the artists because “it takes a lot of courage for these people to say what they’re saying. This is amazing. I’m very proud of them.”

Mrs. Whetton, a retired ballerina, chimed in that she found the whole performance to be “very inspirational, very technical, very sweet, very full of joy, full of peace.” Shen Yun gave her hope for the divine.

According to its website, the name ‘Shen Yun” translates directly into “the beauty of divine beings dancing.” Based in New York, the artists have made it their goal to revive, through dance and music, China’s divinely inspired civilization to its pre-communist glory.

Though Shen Yun is well-beloved by audiences around the world, it is currently forbidden by the ruling Chinese regime from performing in China. In fact, many of Shen Yun’s founding members had fled to America to escape persecution by the communist party.

Reflecting on the artists’ mission and the more spiritual aspect of the performance, Mr. Howell said he “really like the message” because “we need more kindness and more helping and more reliance on the divine and less of the worldly.” He urges the performers to “keep doing what [they’re] doing. Fantastic job.”

Moreover, Mr. Howell loved the company’s live orchestra and the solo performance by the erhu—an ancient Chinese instrument that is reminiscent of the human voice. Though it only has two strings, it is capable of expressing a wide range of emotions.

“I want to learn the instrument. It’s beautiful. I think we want her to do it again and again and again,” he said. “I loved how they used traditional Chinese instruments with the orchestra. They were just precise and fantastic … it’s perfect.”

Shen Yun’s orchestra is the first in the world to permanently combine ancient Chinese and Western instruments. Using classical Western orchestration as the foundation, Shen Yun’s original compositions highlight traditional Chinese instruments to bring to its audience the best of both worlds.

Last but not least, Mrs. Howell would like to tell all her friends that after watching Shen Yun, the “mind, body, spirit fulfillment is absolutely amazing.”

“All the senses are amazing. I feel renewed. I feel like I went to a monastery to meditate. I just feel refreshed and renewed and it just is so such an incredible experience,” she said.

“It’s more than just a performance. You feel different afterward, you feel better, and you feel uplifted and hopeful.”

Reporting Gary Wang 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.