SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

‘They Were All Divine’: Dance Instructor Awed by Shen Yun’s Spiritual Depth

Mar 02, 2025

SYDNEY, Australia—As a dance professional, Sean Enright was particularly struck by how Shen Yun’s performers embodied more than just technique and rigorous training—it was about something deeper.

“They were all divine,” Mr. Enright said after watching the show at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre on March 1.

Now on its 2025 all-new tour in Australia, Shen Yun Performing Arts left Mr. Enright in awe of its blend of artistry, history, and spirituality. While Western ballet is considered a classical art form, he noted classical Chinese dance predates it by thousands of years.

“Ballet is only 500 years old. So from a dancing point of view, that is very new,” he said.

But what truly set Shen Yun apart for him was its ability to merge physical excellence with spiritual depth.

“I wish I could do a tenth of what they could do!” he laughed. “You could really feel the heart of the dancers. The way they are joined together wasn’t just through training, it was through heart and soul.”

He attended the show with Karen MacQueen, who was captivated by the way the performers interacted with the digital backdrop, seamlessly extending the stage into other realms and ancient landscapes.

“The film at the back really gave you a heavenly image,” she said.

She added that the show also unveiled a rich and beautiful side of China—one that she felt the Western world has yet to truly witness.

“The things you read in the media are very negative. So, it’s lovely to see that thousands of years of tradition,” she said. “I hope that the whole world can help China to hang on to that.”

Doctor: Modern Society Would Benefit From Watching Shen Yun

For Dr. Michael Douglas, an anaesthesiologist who attended the performance on the same night, the show transported him into an ancient and spiritual China.

He said it revealed rich traditions and profound wisdom that “held China in high regard for many centuries.”

“Our society is not doing too well at the moment,” he observed. “I think anything that we could learn from the past would be very good for modern society.”

Shen Yun’s mission is to revive China’s 5,000-year-long civilization, which is steeped in ancient spirituality, a belief in Buddhas and divine beings. However, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), an atheistic regime, suppresses people of faith.

Shen Yun has said that many of its performers practice Falun Dafa, a spiritual discipline that faces harsh persecution in mainland China.

Through its performances, Shen Yun gives audience members a window into China’s spiritual history and the modern-day challenges—sometimes brutal and fatal—faced by Falun Dafa practitioners.

Dr. Douglas emphasized that the performance was more than just art—it was a bold act of defiance against modern repression.

“It really shows the brutishness, the brutality, and persecution of religion,” he said. “[CCP head] Xi Jinping must hate it.”

Hailing from New York, Shen Yun the world’s premier classical Chinese dance company delivers what it calls an experience of “China before communism.”

Shows in Australia run in Sydney until March 9, followed by Gold Coast from March 12 to March 16.

With reporting by NTD, Michelle Lu, and Jessie Zhang.

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