SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun Presents ‘A Beautiful Cultural Tapestry,’ Says Associate Professor

Mar 30, 2025

3/30/2025Updated: 3/31/2025

TORONTO—Associate professor Jerry Flores fell in love with Shen Yun Performing Arts when he attended a show for the first time at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts on March 30.

“I think the show is beautiful. I think it’s shedding light on a facet of China,” he shared.

“We don’t see a multicultural China with so many different facets—pockets of culture, traditions, and bringing them back into the modern-day epoch—I think is extremely important.”

He added that the male dancers’ Tibetan dance was very powerful. “The skills, the colors—it was so rich. I don’t think that we talk enough about Tibet. I think it’s a really beautiful, under-discussed place.”

As one of the oldest civilizations in the world, China’s 5,000 years of history are filled with breathtaking legends and rich traditions. Yet, within just a few decades of the Chinese communists’ rise to power, this magnificent culture was destroyed.

The spread of atheism quickly eradicated Chinese people’s belief in the divine. The cherished virtues and values learned from the teachings of Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism disappeared overnight.

These New York-based artists are working to revive this lost civilization and bring back to the world through dance and music, the beauty of pre-communist China.

“I think really like it’s such a beautiful cultural tapestry, the dance, the storytelling, the sort of cinematography in the back. I just think it’s a beautiful show,” Mr. Flores said.

According to the company’s website, Shen Yun’s innovative digital technology creates seamless interaction between the backdrop projection and the performers on stage. “By extending the stage to infinite realms,” this patented 3D invention brings to the audience “storytelling without limits.”

Mr. Flores particularly enjoyed the story-based dance depicting a beautiful fairy who fell in love with a mortal man. Despite all odds, their strong love prevailed, giving rise to the legend behind the Chinese Valentine’s Day.

“The Star-crossed lovers one, obviously, is hard to pass off,” he remarked. The story’s morals are still relevant today because “I think, in the current day era, we need more love. We should always begin with love and compassion.”

Lastly, Mr. Flores would like to thank all the performers for their hard work because he knows “these things don’t happen by accident.”

“I’m enjoying it so much, but in particular, so many different dances and traditions—especially knowing that they’ve existed for thousands of years and they’re still here and they’re being preserved—it’s really important. A really important concept and idea,” he said.

The performers “have been training for a very, very long time and [they] are giving so much joy to so many people.”

Reporting by Lan 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.