SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun ‘Very Beautiful, Very Powerful,’ Says Virginia State Senator

Mar 01, 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Virginia State Senator Barbara Favola saw Shen Yun Performing Arts for the first time on March 1 at the Kennedy Center and felt the stories conveyed something universal and profound.

“It’s very beautiful. It’s very beautiful. Very powerful, too,” Ms. Favola said, adding that this was her first exposure to the traditional Chinese culture.

New York-based Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance company. Through music and dance, Shen Yun aims to revive 5,000 years of Chinese civilization, sharing with audiences the beauty of China before communism.

“The stories were powerful,“ Ms. Favola said. She felt one of the takeaways was that ”if you live your values, you’re eventually going to be happy,“ even though you will face ”a lot of challenges ahead.”

“A lot of challenges. It’s not easy to live your values. That came through,” she said, adding that she admired one of the characters and the “guts and creativity” she showed.

“There’s some universal value in living your values or being good, being a good person,” Ms. Favola added.

Ms. Favola was impressed with the artistry and skill of the performers.

“They’re really beautiful, graceful, and very well-trained. They’re very elegant,” she said of the dancers.

Of the orchestra, Ms. Favola thought “it was very precise. It was very harmonious. It fits with the narrative. And it was uplifting. I thought the musicians were very talented.”

“I’m grateful I came,” she said.

Reporting by Jenny Jing and Catherine Yang.

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