SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun Vocal Soloist Is ‘Spectacular,’ Says Business Owner

Mar 30, 2025

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

CLAREMONT, Calif.—Greg Hayes, a business owner in the field of construction and fire protection, said it was exciting to watch Shen Yun Performing Arts at Bridges Auditorium on Saturday afternoon.

New York-based Shen Yun is the world’s top classical Chinese dance and music company, with a mission of reviving the 5,000 years of traditional culture from China.

“I didn’t even realize it was a live orchestra until the gentleman stood up,“ Mr. Hayes said. ”That’s always a nice touch.”

Shen Yun’s orchestra consists of a unique combination of traditional Western instruments and Chinese instruments, such as the pipa, a Chinese lute, and the erhu, a two-stringed instrument played with a bow, like a violin.

Each performance features classical Chinese dance, story-based dance, ethnic dance, musical soloists, a patented projected digital backdrop, and exquisite classical Chinese attire.

“The costumes and the colors are very vibrant,“ Mr. Hayes said. ”Of course, the opera singer at the end of the first set ... that was pretty spectacular.”

He said he and his wife had been wondering how the stories in each dance piece were going to be portrayed on stage, without anyone talking, and he was pleased to see Shen Yun’s pair of emcees introduce each vignette. He also appreciated the English translation of the lyrics by the singers, who sing in Chinese, projected on the backdrop.

Shen Yun, founded in 2006, was started by practitioners of the spiritual group Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, which teaches the principles of truth, compassion, and tolerance. Falun Gong has been persecuted in China by the communist regime for more than two decades.

The music and dance company is also banned from performing in China, which is unfortunate, Mr. Hayes said.

“When the gentleman said you can’t see a show like this in China, that was ... very telling,” he said. “I do know that the oppression [by the communist regime] was something that really changed the country, no doubt.”

While Mr. Hayes and his wife had seen advertising for Shen Yun for years, this was the first time they decided to come to a performance. He said it “absolutely” met his expectations, with the classical Chinese dance a highlight of the performance.

“The men dancing are pretty exciting ... because they’re very acrobatic,” he said. As a complement, the women dancers were “very graceful, very smooth.”

Reporting by Michael Ye and Sarah Le.

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