SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun ‘Was Absolutely Worth the Value,’ Says Marketing Director

Jan 26, 2025

DALLAS—Marketing director Michael Lott and Brittany Padilla, a musician, watched Shen Yun Performing Arts for the first time at the Music Hall at Fair Park on Jan. 25. They thought the evening was “really incredible.”

I learned a lot about the dance culture, a lot about how Shen Yun was created, and where it came from. I got to learn a bit about the struggle that the dance group is going through in China, Mr. Lott said.

“Shen Yun was really incredible. I think it was absolutely worth the value, and I’d love to come see it again—it was just a great experience.”

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 mission 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.

While Mr. Lott loved all the programs, he was particularly amazed by the flips and tumbling techniques of the dancers. Coupled with the vibrant colors of their costumes, he said, “it made the performance really exciting.”

“The choreography was just incredible to watch, everything just seems to be on [beat.] There’s just so much wonderful cohesion,” he added.

Moreover, Mr. Lott appreciated the dancers’ commitment to bringing back traditional culture and believed it was an important mission.

“As the world changes—whether it’s China or America or any other nation—it’s easy to forget about heritage and forget about culture. Groups like Shen Yun help to protect that culture,” he expressed.

“Bringing [together] Western culture with Chinese culture musically, and then bringing it onto the stage with the dancers and the projection—It’s very much presenting traditional culture and intertwining it with new technology and something that’s more current. So, you can relate to a new audience about something that’s from the past.”

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

“My takeaway is that Shen Yun is stunning. I’m immensely impressed with the dancers and their ability to be so acrobatic, and just to present their culture. It’s very inspiring,” Mr. Lott summarized.

Ms. Padilla, too, loved the performance. As a dance accompanist, she was especially intrigued by Shen Yun’s musicians.

“I love it. I think it was so beautiful—especially to present the musicians on stage. You have the orchestra in the pit, so you can’t really see them. To [introduce] them for us to see that [it accompanies] the dance, it’s really lovely,” she said.

Ms. Padilla also loved Shen Yun’s soprano and the solo performance by the erhu—a 4,000-year-old Chinese instrument that mimics the human voice. Though it only has two strings, it is capable of expressing a wide range of emotions, resonating with the profound depths of the human soul.

“That was lovely. I’m almost going to cry. I think it has a lot of expression and emotion. You can see that in the entire performance,” she expressed.

“I love what [the hosts] said about the tradition of music being a healing power. It’s very special to see a dance with live accompaniment, especially from a full orchestra, and bringing in the traditional instruments from China. It’s very beautiful.”

Reporting by Sherry Dong 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.