SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun’s Dancing Is ‘Like Nothing I’ve Ever Seen Before,’ Says Physician

Feb 16, 2025

CINCINNATI—Brian Dowlang, a physician based in Cincinnati, was absolutely wowed by Shen Yun Performing Arts’ beauty and colors when he attended the performance for the first time on Feb. 15, at the Aronoff Center for the Arts.

“I thought the show was amazing. The beauty, the color, the costuming and the digital background just gave this very glamorous appearance. They flowed together seamlessly. The dancing was just like nothing I’ve ever seen before,” he exclaimed.

“We were so close—there was no sound [from the dance floor]. It was just seamless. It was like a string of dances, all the performances all the way through. I’ve never seen anything like it before in my life.”

Based in New York, Shen Yun is the world’s top classical Chinese dance and music company.

As one of the oldest civilizations in the world, China’s 5,000 years of history is 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 artists’ mission is to revive this lost civilization and bring it back to the world through dance and music, the beauty of pre-communist China.

Dr. Dowlang loved the rich cultural essence of the performance and was impressed by the depth of classical Chinese dance—an art form that is thousands of years old.

“I thought the cultural infusion of dance, and given the history of it along the way—we see things like tumbling and dancing maneuvers—I think we lack an appreciation for where they originate from. It reverses [the concept of] who’s borrowing off of who.”

Moreover, Dr. Dowlang loved Shen Yun’s patented 3D digital technology that, according to the company’s website, works together with the performers to “extend the stage to infinite realms” and brings to its audience “storytelling without limits.”

“It’s very innovative. I thought that costuming just was so vibrant and it flowed right into the background. Just the use of technology to kind of bring forth the divine to the stage was incredible,” he expressed. “I thought the transcendence that [they] achieved was remarkable.”

Dr. Dowlang especially enjoyed Shen Yun’s storyline dance that recounted the tale of a young farmer who fell in love with a fairy—the origin story of the Chinese Valentine’s Day. Through devotion, the couple proved that love can endure despite hardships and trials.

“I thought the love story was beautiful and I thought it captured love. His devotion and love to her and sacrifice—and then his slowly sinking and the gods being touched by that and sparing his life so that they could be reunited—it’s great,” he shared.

Reflecting on the spiritual element Shen Yun presented, Dr. Dowlang said he “liked the message” and lamented the Chinese Communist Party’s destruction of such beautiful culture and faith.

“When you think of China right now—the socio-political state of it ... what is hidden beneath is a beautiful culture that has existed for millennia, and I think this is what [moves the] audience … because you realize this presentation, they could not perform in China. They would be arrested if they performed in China,” he said.

“I think [Shen Yun] broadens your appreciation for Chinese culture and it also brings a tension between what exists there now. It’s a good tension because I don’t think you perceive what you see on television and media. Things like this, that’s where the arts bring a whole other layer to it and bring a truth and an honesty.”

Reporting by Charlie Lu 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.